


The Photonucleic Effect

by appctizer



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AU, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe, Boss/Employee Relationship, Canon-Typical Violence, Endgame Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Kara is Lena's Secretary, Lena Luthor Finds Out Kara Danvers is Supergirl, Mutual Pining, Near Death, Protective Lena Luthor, Slow Burn, SuperCorp, employee/boss to friends to lovers, is this like, karlena
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2019-11-27 23:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 149,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18200180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/appctizer/pseuds/appctizer
Summary: Needing a job outside of being National City's daring superhero, Kara Danvers finds herself working at L-Corp as Lena Luthor's personal assistant, despite the countless warnings she had received.Lena Luthor quickly finds herself set on doing whatever she can to figure out her new assistant, Kara Danvers, who she finds inexplicably interesting.





	1. The First Day

This could not be happening today.

Not today. Not right now. Right this second was the absolute worst possible time. Kara had instantly decided that this was the most aggravating waste of her time as her sister’s voice spoke loudly in her ear, coming through the DEO assigned earpiece, informing her about a three-man robbery about a block away.

See, Kara was entirely used to getting called to varying kinds of crimes. Alien or petty criminal alike, she would get the call and take them down, no problem. It was her job as National City’s superhero and she loved saving people. That was her calling, after all.

But, Rao, now of all times? There had to be something or someone out for Kara, because this was not going to help her in any way. If anything, this particular crime could be putting her in a very bad position today, and in turn raised the possibility of ruining her entire day.

Kara Danvers—Not Supergirl, but Kara Danvers—had been hired for a job. Today was her first day, and she was supposed to be there in five minutes from now. She should have been there already, taking into consideration her own personal rule that said being early meant on time and being on time meant late. The city had been clear all night, why in the name of Rao did these three wannabe, half-wit thieves have to show up now, when it was the first day of her new job?

With a loud, heavy sigh, Kara ducked around a building into a shaded alley. She sent the fastest text she had ever sent in her life to Jess—the woman she had been speaking to about her new job—to tell her she may be late After setting her phone in her pocket, she gave a quick glance behind her shoulder. Once she saw the area was clear enough for her to go inconspicuously, Kara rid herself of her human clothes with her superspeed assisting her. Her clothes and her glasses were set down in a pile up against the side of one of the buildings, and she took off flying with her cape fluttering loudly behind her.

For the briefest moment, Supergirl scanned the area with her x-ray vision. Three men were headed out of the bank, bags in hand. Kara heard the faintest sound of a gun being cocked.

 _Yep, those are my guys,_ she thought bitterly.

Concrete cracked violently as she touched down with little care, a rushed landing, and the force of it caused the three men to stumble. She struck her famous Supergirl pose— Hands in fists on her hips, feet apart, head high, and she stood tall, radiating her power and confidence into a visual wonder for everyone to see. The trio of men attempting to rob one of National City’s numerous banks halted when they heard the noise, and turned abruptly to stare at the Girl of Steel.

One of the men spoke up confidently, and greeted, “Supergirl.” He had on a cocky smirk, and the other two men were obviously clueless, just following his lead. He cracked his neck, and boasted, “You might think you’re scary, but we aren’t gonna go down so easily, and—“

“You’re not like other criminals, you’re better, I’m never gonna beat you, blah blah blah,” Supergirl said in a mocking tone, and so finished the overused spiel she had heard time and time again, even though her time as Supergirl had not been long at all. She dropped her superpose and shrugged like this was the biggest waste of her time... Which it was. “Let’s get this over with.”

The small group of lowlifes seemed slightly baffled and thrown off their game at the hero’s reaction. If acting like she did not care at all was what threw criminals off, Supergirl might just have to start doing it on purpose instead of fueling their ego.

“W-Well,” The first man stammered, but shook his head and nodded his head at the hero, ordering his boys, “What are you waiting for?! Get her, idiots!”

With that order thrown out into the wind, and the sound of sirens coming closer, the two who seemed even dumber than the first fumbled with their guns before they pointed them directly at Supergirl and fired without warning.

Unfazed, Supergirl just looked at them as the two bullets bounced off the middle of her chest. “Seriously?” She questioned, raising an eyebrow, “You people _still_ think a little pistol is going to hurt me?” If anything, it seems to hurt the criminals more than anything. The leader had his hand over his ear and had his face contorted the second the shots rang.

The men glanced at each other, before making the god-awful decision of firing their weapons at her again.

This time, Supergirl caught the two bullets headed for her chest in her palm, and dropped the crippled bullets to the concrete. “At least you can aim a gun at an unmoving person from five feet away, that’s a feat,” She mocked sarcastically, and with that, she walked up to the three men confidently as they slowly backed up, before attempting to run.

“Wrong move,” Supergirl informed them, as she grabbed two of the men by the back of their shirt collars and slipped her foot in front of the third, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud. She tore the guns from their hands, and tossed them to the side where they clattered onto the pavement and were out of reach from the robbers.

 _Finally,_ Supergirl thought as a small group of police cars came speeding down the road. The squad of cars came to a screeching halt in the road next to where Supergirl and the criminals were on the sidewalk and the cops immediately rushed from their vehicles. Supergirl dropped the two men onto their leader, who was laying on the ground. She gave a brief nod to the officers, and took off with speed.

She dove into the alley where she had emerged from, not even taking a moment to land as she grabbed her clothes and glasses, and kept flying towards her destination. There was no time to walk at this point, considering she had already wasted too much time with the robbers.

Supergirl landed hurriedly at the back of the building. She changed back into her Kara Danvers clothes, finding herself incredibly grateful for her superspeed. She zoomed to the front of the building just as her glasses fell to place on her nose and the rubber-band snapped into place, securing her wavy hair into an updo.

L-Corp.

The building loomed over her, and even as an alien who could quite literally punch the entire building down, just the sight of the company gave her a nervous feeling. The shadow of the building covered her, and she was just reminded of the countless warnings she had gotten from Alex and her friends about this place. It reminded her of the man who had once run the company, who had used this very company to mass-produce and sell special weaponry designed to murder her own cousin. The man who was sentenced to 32 consecutive life sentences in a maximum security prison and had tried to murder her cousin countless times, and had murdered plenty of others in the process.

 _Get it together,_ Kara mentally slapped herself. It was just a building, after all, regardless of what cruel past and secrets might reside there. So, gathering her Supergirl courage into her Kara Danvers self, Kara took the few steps forward she needed to go inside.

From the first step inside L-Corp, a few weeks before, Kara had taken immediate notice to how dull the inside was. The walls and floors had a wonderfully broad choice of greys, whites, and blacks. The air was chilly, like someone had forgotten to turn the heating system on. Everything about the place was sleek, modern, and impersonal. Now, somehow, it seemed even more dull than the first time she had come. It was not proving to be the most welcome place at this first glance. Kara assumed it must be the nerves eating at her stomach that told her to get out— it was just a building, she repeated in her head like it was her new mantra.

“Miss Danvers,” A voice said suddenly, seemingly relieved. Kara tore her eyes away from the boring, cold walls and decor to locate the voice, and saw immediately a woman dressed up far more nicely than Kara herself was. Nothing too extreme, but still nicer. It was the woman Kara had come to know as Jess, rushing towards her with her hands clasped together.

“That’s me,” Kara said with a nearly fake hint of nervousness as Jess came to a stop in front of her. If Lena’s now ex-assistant dressed like that, Kara was not sure how to feel about the fact she herself was wearing a pastel pink button-down, a cardigan, and khakis. She was nowhere close to wearing the darkly colored skirt, blouse, and deathly heels that this woman was.

A sigh of relief came from Jess, who dropped her clasped hands immediately. “Thank God, I saw your text and thought you were going to be much later,” She mumbled, shaking her head, before she met Kara’s eyes and said, “I wanted to show you around, but Miss Luthor told me she’d rather do it herself.”

For some reason, that made Kara’s nerves flare up, for real, again. She knew she was going to be interacting with her, that was the job description, after all, but still... Kara did not have a clue what to think. Perhaps she was not entirely prepared for any of this.

“Sounds good,” Kara smiled brightly despite her doubts, “thank you anyway.”

Jess offered a short smile, though hers seemed less than happy and more concerned. Kara thought Jess might actually be more nervous than she was herself.

“Here’s this,” Jess said quickly, holding out a shiny, laminated I.D. with Kara’s name and photo. “This will let you open doors around the building.”

Kara took it and stared down it for a moment.

“And, of course, once you’ve worked here for a while you’ll be permitted into currently off-limits parts of the building,” Jess told her, “we can’t be fully trusting a new employee right off the bat, nothing personal.”

This made Kara laugh lightly, “I understand.” Kara had assumed that much. L-Corp was a huge corporation, if they just let every new employee wherever they wanted, that would more than likely end up being very bad for business. Especially in a city like National City, where there happened to be a lot of people out to get Lena Luthor, CEO.

Lips pursed together, Jess looked around and huffed. “Miss Luthor will let you know everything else you need to know. Everything that she wants you to know, anyways. Her office is at the top floor.”

Kara nodded, showing her understanding. Keycard. Top floor. Kara remembered where the CEO’s office was from when she had gone upstairs with Jess to be interviewed. Jess had her own office next to Lena Luthor’s.

“Well, go on,” Jess suggested loudly, a hand waving towards the elevator. This woman had so much stress, Kara had to wonder if she was always like that. But, Kara nodded at her, and started walking briskly to the elevator. “Wait,” Jess spoke again, and Kara stopped, confused.

Jess cleared her throat, stood straight, and made very clear eye contact with Kara. There was warning and maybe, even, threat in her eyes. “I’m only leaving this company because I have to, but I care for Miss Luthor, so” She informed, and then warned, “If you know what’s good for you, I suggest you do better than your best for Miss Luthor,” She finished with a firm, “Miss Danvers.” Before Kara could think to respond, Jess was headed off with the tap tap tap of her heels echoing throughout the lobby.

Which, Kara supposed was for the best, because she was not quite sure how to respond. Of course she was going to do the best she possibly could at her new job. Kara Danvers did not put less than her all into anything…Except for maybe that fight earlier. But that’s different! Kara shook the thoughts from her head, and kept going for the elevator.

She pressed the button, the elevator dinged with a shrill noise, and the doors opened. Kara stepped inside, and pressed the button for the top floor of the building. The elevator doors closed, and Kara prepared herself for the next step of her day. It was now or never, after all, because she wasn’t so sure she could prevent herself from chickening out for much longer.

It felt like the longest elevator ride in history. Kara tapped her foot, glanced around the tiny space as if something would magically appear, checked her phone’s clock about seven times. Finally, though, the elevator came to a halting stop, and the doors slid open.

Kara gulped, took a deep breath, and walked out and up to the door that she knew belonged to her new boss. Kara had the final thought of _here goes_ and knocked firmly on the door.

“Come in,” A woman’s voice said from the other side of the door, sounding distant and muffled.

This was it. Kara took a sharp deep breath, attempting to calm her anxiety. She took the invite in and opened the door carefully, allowing herself access to the office. Her attempt at being calm didn’t last very long, however.

Kara stood just barely inside the doorway and felt her breath catch as she saw her.

Lena Luthor. The most hated woman in National City. CEO of L-Corp and sister of one of the most infamous men in history. A man who had again and again attempted to take the life of Kara’s cousin, a man who had again and again succeeded at murdering countless innocent people, a man who found pleasure in murder and in torturing aliens. The both of them belonged to a family of known alien haters, and from what Kara _had seen_ everywhere from The Daily Planet to CatCo WorldWide Media, every single one member of that family had shared those views.

Kara also hadn’t quite expected Lena Luthor to look the way she did. She wasn’t quite sure what she was thinking of seeing Lena Luthor in the flesh, or what she had thought she would see, but Lena Luthor just looked... Inexplicably different, from the blurry photographs of her going about her business in magazines and papers. The Luthor had a sharp face—sharp cheekbones and a jawline that could cut a diamond. Her dark hair was tied back in a tight, complex bun, and when she looked up Kara could see her eyes, and...

When Lena Luthor looked up and made eye contact, Kara felt intimidated. Her eyes were piercing, focused, and Kara, despite being one hundred times more powerful than her, truly felt _intimidated._ For reasons Kara could not for the life of her understand, looking into Lena Luthor’s eyes felt captivating.

Lena Luthor stood from her sleek, white desk as she set down a pen she had held firmly in her hand. She waved her now free hand in Kara’s direction. “Shut the door, please,” She asked, and Kara instantly did as she was told, closing the heavy door behind her. It shut with a loud click, echoing faintly throughout the huge office. Kara wasn’t sure if she could only hear the echo because of her advanced hearing, but everything seemed much louder in her nervousness, so she thought it might be.

Lena Luthor was staring at her relentlessly with that sharp gaze as she rounded her desk and walked towards Kara. Kara could not explain to herself what she was feeling about this whole situation, there were so many different emotions and feelings riddled with nerves running through her all at once.

The powerful CEO, her new boss, stopped in front of her, and held her hand out with a smile. A fake smile, the faux smile of a businesswoman, Kara knew. “I suppose you’re my new assistant?” She questioned, though it was clear she knew the answer.

Kara straightened her back, standing tall, and reached out to clasp the woman’s hand in a handshake. She focused on keeping a firm grip, while not shattering her boss’s hand if her jitters would try to momentarily make her lose control. That would make for a weird first day. And a weird reason for being fired. Not to mention, Kara would probably never be able to find a job in the city ever again if she accidentally crushed Lena Luthor’s hand on her first day.

Kara tried to summon her confidence and cool demeanor, and said, “I’m, uh,” Confidence wasn’t working to her advantage today. “Um, Miss Danvers.” She stated, simply repeating the last thing she had heard someone call her because her brain was forgetting her own name. Under the scrutiny of those eyes, how could she remember anything?

The Luthor’s fake smile melted into a real one, though a small one, and she silently refused drop Kara’s hand. A handshake was quick, a fast grasp and shake and then it was done, but Lena Luthor seemed to have to intention of letting go quickly. Kara was fully aware of the fact they had their hands clasped together, unmoving, and Kara was equally as aware of the fact this woman wasn’t making any move to let go. It certainly made it clear who was in control here, if nothing else. Kara felt the intimidation grow with every passing millisecond.

Finally, Lena Luthor quirked an eyebrow in amusement. “And your first name, Miss Danvers?” She hinted, catching Kara’s absolute confusion.

“Oh!” Kara exclaimed, “Kara. I’m Kara Danvers.” _Way to go, Kara._

“Lena Luthor,” She said in return, and finally their hands were no longer clasped together. Kara took to fiddling with the hem of her shirt, despite herself. “It’s lovely to meet you, Kara, I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.”

“The pleasure’s all mine, Miss Luthor,” Kara managed, having felt like an idiot the entire time she had been in this office. The few remaining bones of the confidence she owned as Supergirl fleeted through her the second she saw this woman and she could not possibly fathom why this spell was being placed on her.

She shook her head, and Kara immediately wondered what she did wrong now. “Please, it’s just Lena,” She insisted, that hint of a real smile still playing on her dark lips, as she crossed her arms across her chest. Kara nodded dumbly, and Lena Luthor—No, _just_ Lena turned and walked toward a counter in her castle of an office, while Kara stood there watching like a deer in headlights.

Lena grabbed a pitcher, and a glass, and started pouring. “Would you like a drink, Kara?” She asked, eyes focused on her own glass. “You seem a little nervous. I promise I don’t bite as much as you might think a Luthor would.” It was a joke, but there was something else tied into the words— the frustration of a woman who had come to accept her fate but wasn’t happy about it.

Quickly, Kara stepped forward and assured, “No, no, I promise it’s not that, not because of your name.” Kara was almost surprised to realize within herself that she was telling the truth to Lena. Once Lena had stood up and come to her, Kara had completely forgotten the woman’s cursed last name until that joke. She had just been talking to her boss, not a Luthor hell-bent on murdering her on the spot. But, Kara couldn’t explain why she was feeling so nervous to even herself. “No thank you, to the drink, though.”

Those eyes met hers again as Lena stood straight and took a long drink of her scotch. “If that’s true,” She commented, and carried her drink with her as she walked to a little couch in her office, “then I’m pleasantly surprised.” She sat, crossing her legs, and Kara couldn’t help specifically notice then the tight, black pencil skirt she was wearing. “You may sit, if you like,” Lena offered, though Kara had a sneaking suspicion it was actually an order disguised as an offer.

So, of course, Kara scurried over and sat next to Lena, attempting to put as much space between them as possible on the small couch. Lena took another drink as she did.

“I’m sorry for being late, by the way,” Kara blurted.

This actually seemed to surprise the unnaturally kept-together woman, because her professional, calm expression fell apart for a split second before she coughed and put herself back together. But there seemed to be one part of her professionalism she just couldn’t keep under control right then, because she was smiling. A real one this time, not fake nor gentle, but instead wide and genuine.

“You sound like me. You were, what, one minute late?” Lena said, and Kara felt a foreign, fluttery feeling in her stomach as she gazed at that lovely smile, “Don’t even worry about it.”

“Oh, uh, thank you very much,” Kara gave a short laugh. She clasped her hands together tightly in her lap, and couldn’t believe how messed up she was right now. She was never like this— even as her human persona, a majority of the nerves tended to be an act— so why now was it so real?

Lena was simply staring at her again. She had her elbow set on the back of the couch, leaning her head on her hand, just staring at Kara. “Tell me, Kara,” She said suddenly, after a minute of silence, “why L-Corp?”

The question was not one Kara really knew the answer to. She gazed into those green eyes and tried to think of an answer. “I...” Eventually she sighed and told her boss honestly, “I’m not sure.”

“No history of science or technology,” Lena mused, “or business. None at all...” A sip of scotch was taken as Lena pondered her next point. “According to your resume, you’ve been a waitress, an intern for a newspaper, and a nanny. I must admit I was surprised to see you applying— usually those who apply to be my assistant are looking to go up the ladder and eventually have a bigger role in L-Corp.”

Kara wasn’t surprised. She knew the company had done a painfully thorough background check on her. “You hired me, anyway,” She retorted in a good-meaning way. “You tell me.” The second the words left her mouth, she got worried. Maybe Lena would see that as rude, and maybe she was going to get angry, and the last thing she needed was to infuriate her new boss on the first day, and...

To Kara’s disbelief, she made Lena laugh. Actually laugh, a real and genuine laugh that made Lena grin and shake her head. “Maybe you do have some businesswoman in you, after all,” Lena said as she laughed, quietly now. She tapped her hand on Kara’s shoulder for the briefest second before she took another long, slow drink, and Kara felt her heart stop beating for a split second. “I suppose you interested me,” Lena told her, before Kara could unexplainably freak out even more, “maybe the scientist in me just wanted to figure you out.”

“Maybe my reason is just that you pay way more for a secretary job than anyone else,” Kara countered, testing the waters.

The idea just seemed to amuse Lena further. “Maybe so,” Her drink was gone now and she leaned forward to set her glass on the table in front of the couch, “or maybe I’ll find out some other reason you’re so interesting, eventually. We’ll see, won’t we?” Lena was teasing her. Which, Kara never thought a Luthor would be playfully bantering with her.

“We’ll see,” Kara repeated, so unbearably confused about everything right now. She could imagine Alex trying to convince her that this funny way Kara was feeling around Lena was a Luthor’s trick to kill her or something of the sort. A lure into feeling safe around her and then, the instant her guard was gone, out would come the kryptonite.

Lena uncrossed her legs and stretched them briefly before she stood up. Kara found herself looking at her legs a moment too long before she scrambled to her feet as well and brought her gaze up to Lena’s face.

“Shall I give you a tour?” Lena ventured with the tease still in her voice as she walked towards her office door, watching Kara over her shoulder. She turned the handle and pulled the door open.

“Uh, y-yeah,” Kara nodded so quickly her head hurt, and rushed to join Lena. Lena kept holding the door, and waved a hand, urging Kara to go ahead. Kara was not at all sure what to think of the CEO of a multibillion-dollar corporation, her boss, holding the door open for her.

Something told Kara that this job was going to be more than interesting.

 

* * *

 

Something told Lena she had made a good decision.

While she had trusted Jess with finding potential replacements for her, Lena of course had the final choice in who would be hired. Jess had questioned her decision immensely, uttering about how Lena just had to choose the one woman who did not have any background in business, science, technology, and the like. In fact, Lena had went through this woman’s files herself, and there wasn’t much background at all to her.

But, Lena had watched recorded footage of all of the applicants' interviews with Jess. Lena had found herself bored watching all of the, seemingly to her, painfully long interviews, until a specific one. The woman had no background in anything this company did. Yet, she came in looking and talking like she had the entire world on her side. She was stammering a bit, constantly adjusting her glasses though they were perfectly fine, and yet even on the less-than-perfect camera quality, Lena could see her smile. A smile that, even through that poor video, was confident, warm, and determined. A smile that, despite the rest of her looking so sheepish, gave her away and proved she had much more to her than a jittery personality.

Lena had paused the video and found the files matching that woman. _Kara Danvers,_ she read and had went on watching. This Kara Danvers rambled on and off topic to Jess about how she put her all into everything she did, how she could write and make coffee even though she absolutely could not cook to save her life, she even rambled off about her sister for a moment before she apologized sheepishly and said she would be very happy having this job. Lena had never seen a woman sound so satisfied with the idea of being a secretary. Lena knew she herself definitely wouldn’t.

And even though those other women might have had more background related to her company, even though Jess might have thought they were better fit, none of them had that unreasonable amount of hope and passion, and none of them had that inhumanly warm smile. The next thing Lena knew, she was telling Jess that Kara Danvers was her choice.

The moment Kara Danvers had walked into her office, Lena wanted to know more about this woman.

After the conversation they had on Lena’s couch, Lena knew she had made the right choice. She couldn’t quite place her finger on why it was the right choice, but she knew it was. She had an instinct about the women that she couldn’t fully explain.

“Right this way,” Lena made a move to set her hand on Kara’s shoulder to guide her, but dropped her hand before she made contact, “to your office.” Kara was not her friend, she reminded herself, despite that smile that somehow made a person feel like they were exactly that.

“O-Okay,” Kara stuttered, and Lena felt herself smile despite her attempts to keep it under control.

Lena was not dumb. She had noticed very well that Kara was, for whatever reason, ruining the professional appearance she had mastered over her entire life. She kept smiling. Really, truly smiling. Her mind was running a mile a minute in a poor attempt to figure out what the problem was.

She attempted to shake the feeling off as she opened the door to Kara’s new office— Jess’s old one. Lena couldn’t honestly say she wasn’t going to miss Jess at all. She was going to miss Jess much more than she wished to admit. Jess was like her family, but Jess could be doing much better things than working for Lena and ordering coffee for countless more years, and both of them knew it. Lena knew potential when she saw it and to waste Jess’s for a moment longer when she had the power to help her reach that potential was ludicrous.

“Here you are,” Lena told Kara, who went in and Lena truly was awed by how happy she looked. How happy she looked just by a decently sized office with a window overlooking the city. Kara immediately went to the window that took up the whole wall, staring out of it like she thought it was the coolest thing ever.

“My sister doesn’t even get this kind of view at her work,” Kara remarked, and Lena could see her wide grin in her reflection. “And she’s, like, one of the head people there. She’s gonna be so jealous. She’s stuck in a super dark, underground building—“ Kara halted mid-sentence and looked suddenly sheepish, glancing back at Lena like she was saying too much and shouldn’t be.

Lena was not sure if that was because Kara thought she was talking to much to her, but if that was the reason, Lena very much disagreed. An urge grew in Lena—a want, rather. She wanted to know everything Kara had to say, everything that went through her mind.

But, rather than urge Kara to continue or assure her she could say whatever she wishes, Lena instead talked more than she should, “My office has a balcony. I’ll take you out onto it later, it has an even better view.” Her brain caught up with her mouth as soon as the words left, and Lena scolded herself internally.

This seemed to make Kara happy. Which, for whatever reason, caused Lena to be glad she said it, even though she had not planned on saying it at all. Then, Kara looked back outside, her smile falling, and her expression turned inexplicably determined and concerned.

Eyebrows furrowed in concern at the dramatic change, Lena questioned, “Kara, are you alright?”

Lena watched as Kara painted on a smile again, though it looked much more forced and her eyes were slightly wide. She turned around. “Could I maybe use the bathroom?” She looked at Lena with some strange amount of innocence, glancing over her shoulder back out the window.

“Of course,” Lena answered, “It’s right down the hall.”

“Thank you!” Kara said hurriedly, rushing to the door, but she stopped and spared a glance at Lena. “I’ll be right back here in a minute.” With that said in finality, she rushed out of the office and down the hall.

Lena took a deep breath, almost relieved at the break from the woman’s presence, because she could not figure out this godforsaken strange feeling she had. As she thought to herself, she walked over to the window that Kara had liked so much and leaned against it, staring out.

Kara Danvers, with her golden hair and shining smile, the kindest eyes Lena had ever seen a person have in this damned city, and the little scar above her eyebrow Lena had noticed while sitting with her and chatting.

Kara Danvers was something, and yet Lena could not possibly put her finger on what that something was.

Then, she saw something in the sky. It was so quick that Lena almost missed it, almost doubted her own vision, but it was there. A streak of blue and red and golden hair. Supergirl, flying across the blue, open sky, going past her building faster than a cheetah.

_Golden hair._

Lena’s mind stirred for a moment, but it wasn’t long at all before Kara came rushing back into the office, startling Lena. “Kara,” She said, raising her hand to her chest as if it would prevent her apparent heart attack, “you surprised me.”

The bright, blonde woman was out of breath. Just a little bit, her chest rising heavily and Lena could just barely hear her heavy breaths. How a trip to the bathroom could leave somebody out of breath, Lena truly did not care to know.

She smiled, and laughed nervously, tucking some strands of hair behind her ear. Lena also did not see how one’s hair could get so messed up on a simple trip to the bathroom, but Lena accepted it and moved on. “Sorry,” Kara stuttered out, “for startling you, I mean.”

“No worries,” Lena smiled kindly at her in reassurance.

What was it with this woman? Why was Lena so intrigued by her?

“So, um,” Oh, _no_ , Kara’s inability to talk was already rubbing off on her. She cleared her throat, “So, I’ll have a laptop for you tomorrow. Which, will be your work laptop, but you can also use it for personal reasons, I don’t care. We’ll call it a perk.” She shook her head a moment, and added with amusement, “Lord knows how many of my employees I see watching the oddest videos I have ever seen during their lunch breaks.”

Kara looked like she were about to say something, but Lena cut her off, determined. “You can decorate your office however you want, if you want to,” Although, Kara definitely seemed like the decorating type, “It’s your space, after all.” She decided that was enough for Kara’s office, and started walking back to the door, “Would you like to see more, Kara?”

“Of course!” Kara answered brightly, venturing after Lena. Lena had a goal with this, though honestly, she was not entirely sure what the goal was. She just knew what she was doing in some deep part of her mind.

Lena walked briskly to the elevator, hit the button, and walked in with Kara close after her. “There’s really only two things I care to show you today,” Lena informed her new assistant, who was watching her with wide, doe eyes that Lena found a tad distracting. The elevator began moving, down, and Lena felt her stomach drop the slightest bit. Even if she rode an elevator every single day, even though she worked on the highest floor in a skyscraper, she still did not fancy heights.

“In the basement is my personal lab,” Lena told her, deciding that talking to Kara rather than standing in silence was the better solution to her uncomfortable feeling in the elevator. Distraction was the key to handling most emotions, after all. “I’ve been doing a lot of work there, as of late, so that’s the most important place right now. Plus, there are way too many conference rooms and other labs in this building for me to show you every single one, so you’ll figure that out as time goes on.” She finished with a slight smile, watching Kara carefully.

“Alright!” Kara replied cheerfully, that nervous air still with her, and Lena really could not explain why this girl was causing her to smile so much.

The elevator stopped its movement, and Lena felt thankful for the movement being over. The doors to the elevator did not open, however, instead prompting for Lena’s thumbprint and facial recognition scan.

“Only I can access this floor,” Lena said, putting her thumb onto the pad. “If you come down here, it will be with me.” The laser panned down her face briefly before the elevator sounded with a ding, and the metal doors slid open. Lena walked out, Kara following her closely.

Kara looked around the lab, nearly in awe, it seemed. Lena liked that. Lena liked how interested the woman was in all of this. She couldn’t help but be sure all those lackluster women who had also applied would be nowhere near as genuinely excited as Kara.

“My company does, of course, have multiple labs, but this one is solely mine,” Lena explained, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked, “I work on my personal projects as well as prototypes for L-Corp’s future products.”

And, for Lena’s own experiment right now, she asked Kara a very simple question. “Kara, do you know what the heliocentric theory is?”

The question seemed to take Kara by surprise. “Well, yeah,” She said, fixing those glasses of hers despite them being perfectly fine. “It’s the theory that the Earth revolves around the sun. It’s the opposite of the geocentric theory.”

Lena took this with a grain of salt, since anybody with half a brain and half an education could answer that, and went on with another question. “What do you know about quantum entanglement?” One of Lena’s current projects had to do with quantum entanglement, though that was not quite the reason she asked.

“It’s, um, when particles are together in a way that the quantum state of a single particle can’t be described independently from the rest, even if they’re all separated by, um, distance.” Kara looked at Lena sheepishly, like she was looking for Lena to tell her she was wrong, yet she also looked like she was ready for another question. Self-doubt somehow paired with powerful confidence in her knowledge— This was one reason Lena was intrigued by this woman. It was like she had two sides of herself going at once.

Lena just hummed in response, not answering to Kara’s explanation of quantum entanglement. Instead, as quickly as Kara had finished, she asked her final question, “And do you know what the photonucleic effect is?”

Kara started talking before she even seemed to register the question, eager to answer. “That’s a very specialized astronomical phenomenon that takes place when an object native to a red star enters an area with a small G-type star.” Then, she looked almost anxious again, fixed those perfectly fine glasses, and slumped her shoulders. “I-I mean, that’s what gives Supergirl and Superman their powers, right?”

Lena watched the woman with a firm stare. Her response was nearly the exact definition, and she had spoken it with the confidence of a woman who knew something personal to her. Lena was not quite positive what her endgame question had proved to her, but she knew she had gotten somewhere. This was important, she was certain.

“It is,” Lena answered, though Kara clearly knew the answer as well, if not better, than she did. Next, she smiled in satisfaction and said, “Thank you.”

In any case, it was clear to Lena that she had made a good choice with hiring this woman. She did, however, know that she had accomplished something else with getting that answer from Kara, and she knew she was going to figure it out. Something more than just a knowledge past what she should know.

“Uh, no problem!” Kara laughed with her anxiety showing, but genuinely still. “I don’t know much, I’m sorry.”

“I disagree,” Lena mumbled, raising an eyebrow at her, but shook her head and said, “Anyway, any projects that I may work on down in this lab are strictly confidential and will remain so, even to the scientists in this very building, until I say so.”

Kara nodded, “I understand.”

“Can’t have word getting out to other companies, now can I?” Lena said in a slightly teasing tone, surprising herself, before she cleared her throat and said, “There’s one other place I care to show you. Much less secretive than this one.”

Plus, perhaps, she wanted to be out of this very confined lab where she was alone with Kara. Somehow she felt like if she spent another moment alone with her she would somehow make a fool of herself.

Kara nodded quickly, and she and Lena made their way back to the elevator in mostly silence. The ride in the elevator was, as well, mostly riddled in silence, save for a few idle comments from Lena and a few remarks from Kara that made Lena smile. All in all, despite the quietness, it was far from uncomfortable. It felt almost easy, in fact.

The one other place Lena cared to show Kara happened to involve two places more than just one, though they were similar and had the same purpose. The first was the building’s small employee café on the second floor. Kara did not seem to agree that it was a small one, looking at Lena as if she were an alien when Lena said it was so, but Lena couldn’t see it as any bigger than small.

“You’re welcome to order things from here whenever, obviously,” Lena told her, “Or you can leave the building to get lunch. Honestly, I spend a lot of my time in my office. Just don’t be away for an unreasonable amount of time and I won’t even notice.” She hinted to Kara with a short wink, unthinking, and just went on like she hadn’t done a thing.

Kara obviously had noticed and it clearly had its affect on her. She laughed, her sheepishness showing like an exposed nerve, and she wrung her hands together. “Gotcha,” She nodded a little too quickly.

Lena set her hand on Kara’s shoulder for a brief second to get her attention so she would turn and Lena led her out, headed once again for the elevator.

“Although,” She said, leading to her next point, “between you and I, to my companies shame, the coffee here has absolutely nothing on the coffee from the stand outside.” Lena always had Jess get her coffee from that stand rather than from the perfectly fine café in her own building. She had a preference and that preference was for that specific coffee stand and nowhere else.

“Is it?” Kara questioned, seemingly entertained by this, which satisfied Lena immensely.

“Oh, trust me,” Lena assured her after they stepped into the elevator. She fanned her face with her hand jokingly, “I’m weak for that coffee. You’re going to be walking out to get me coffee kind of often, just warning you.” Fairly often was a horrible way to put it. Lena lived off of coffee. As was the life of a CEO, after all. “And I’ll be able to tell if it’s any other place’s coffee, so don’t try anything.”

“I would never,” Kara retorted with fake offense, putting her hand over her chest. “The best coffee you want, the best coffee you’ll get.” She grinned at Lena, and for a moment Lena was not sure if the flip-flopping feeling in her stomach was from the elevator moving or from that smile.

The two didn’t say another word until they walked outside.

The second the got outside, and out of the shade of her building, Kara stopped where she stood, and stretched her back. She had her eyes shut, a gentle smile on her face, taking in the warmth and light outside. Lena halted as well, watching Kara despite herself with some sense of awe. Something about it captivated Lena. Kara got done stretching, noticed Lena staring, and shrugged sheepishly.

“Your building is kinda cold,” Kara admitted as an explanation, “It’s warm out here. The sun feels nice.”

Lena took this information and stored it in the back of her mind. She thought perhaps she might have to fix that in her building, even if only to make Kara happy, which surprised herself.

“I assume my assistant will be perfectly happy taking trips outside for my coffee, then,” She remarked and nearly forgot she was a CEO standing in the public eye for a moment. She stood straighter and tried to force away that relentless smile that kept coming back. Cameras and eyes were always on her even if she didn’t notice them, she had learned long ago.

“Yep!” Kara exclaimed, rushing forward to take the few steps she needed to be at Lena’s side again. And there was that damned smile Lena was trying to keep at bay. Lena couldn’t even begin to describe what this woman was doing to her.

Lena sat at one of the very few tables around the front of the small coffee stand and eyed Kara. “Go ahead and get us some coffee, won’t you?” She asked, though it was more of an order, and she motioned towards the little stand.

Kara glanced over at the stand, then back to Lena, and she said, “Yeah, of course!” Then, she thought for a moment, before giving that laugh, and asking, “What do you want?”

Unable to help herself, Lena leaned forward in her seat, resting her hands on the table. With all of her lasting self-will, she forced away that smile and every trace of emotion from her face. She stared at Kara in the most serious manner that she could. “My order is an incredibly detailed, complicated one. If you get one thing wrong, I’ll notice immediately.” She warned, and asked, “Are you ready?”

Her assistant seemed confused and disturbed by the sudden seriousness in her voice, which made it hard for Lena to continue the seriousness she had. But, Kara stood up straight and got this look of determination at getting Lena Luthor’s coffee order perfectly correct, and said challengingly, “Of course.”

“Plain black coffee,” Lena said in a dangerous voice, and allowed herself to smile while Kara was taken aback at the simplicity of it.

“But—“ Kara seemed like she was absolutely waiting for the longest, most detailed coffee order in history, “But, you said— You—“

“I was teasing. I think your order will be entirely more complicated than mine,” Lena told her. She had a feeling that this woman would probably be unable to stand plain black coffee without any sugar or cream or anything. If Lena pegged her correctly, she appeared to be the type to have a major sweet tooth, which would not pair with bitter coffee.

Kara looked baffled and stuttered incoherently for a second. After a moment, her surprised look was replaced with a dorky grin, and she turned and left to get them both coffee. One black coffee and whatever sugary concoction Kara was bound to order.

Lena stared at her carefully, closely, as she walked to the stand and started energetically talking to the man working.

Suddenly, Lena looked beside herself as a man she knew worked in her company was walking by, and in a spur of the moment decision, she stopped him.

“Excuse me,” She said, and he stopped and looked at the Luthor with shock in his eyes. Lena wasn’t sure she would ever get completely used to the way people got so surprised that Lena Luthor was talking to them. “Do you know what the photonucleic effect is?”

He looked at the ground in concentration for a brief moment, before he looked back up at the Luthor. “I can’t say I do, Ms. Luthor,” He told her regrettably. Lena had assumed as much, so the answer did not take her by surprise. It merely provided her some more information on this intriguing Kara Danvers. If anything, it helped her case.

“Thank you for your time,” Lena smiled, her businesswoman smile, her fake smile, rather than the true smile she kept unwillingly giving this Kara Danvers woman. “Have a nice day.”

He nodded back, and walked off, as Lena turned back to look at Kara as she walked hurriedly back to her with two coffees. Despite herself, Lena found herself grinning in satisfaction at being completely correct about the coffee Kara set on the table.

One black coffee and one sugary mess of a coffee that Lena couldn’t even begin to describe.


	2. Donuts!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Donuts!"
> 
> AKA, Kara introduces Lena to the wonder that is donuts, the two grow somewhat closer, Lena gets somewhere and nowhere with her investigation, and Alex and Kara are at peace, for now.

It had been one week since Kara’s first day working for Lena Luthor. 

Kara stood directly outside of Lena’s unreasonably large office, one large black coffee from the stand outside in her hand, as she waited for her boss. Truthfully, it had been so long of a wait between when she ordered the coffee and from now, that Kara had periodically been opening up the lid and using her heat vision to keep it hot. Lena liked her coffee hot as could be, which Kara personally thought it was a miracle the woman managed to get a superpowered assistant who could keep it that way while Lena took her time. 

After Kara flashed her heat vision one final time and shut the lid, the office’s double doors opened to reveal one Lena Luthor who was staring at her papers, looking much less active and much more tired than she had on Kara’s first day. 

“Lena,” Kara greeted cheerfully. It had been the first time Lena had come out of her office all morning, even to ask for coffee it had been over paging, and Kara thought maybe the woman could use some cheer. She had quickly come to realize that most of Lena’s time definitely was spent in her office than anywhere else. 

“Good morning, Kara,” Lena answered with a little less optimism, as she flipped through the papers in the yellow folder she was carrying before she opted to do anything else. After a brief moment, she shut the folder and finally looked up at Kara. 

Kara was not quite sure, but she thought Lena’s eyes softened when she looked at her. “You seem tired,” Kara commented, but held up the coffee in her hand and asked with a smile, “maybe that'll do the trick?” 

The coffee was taken from Kara quickly, and Lena rolled her eyes more at the world than at Kara. “This will definitely do the trick,” She agreed and took a sip of it right then. It was beyond Kara how Lena could tolerate taking a drink of burning hot coffee every single day without letting it cool even a little bit. “You have no idea how much I hate these meetings,” She mumbled to Kara as the two started walking for the elevator. 

Kara had a pretty good idea about how much Lena hated these meetings, if Lena’s day drinking before acting like coffee will null the effects of alcohol before her meetings was a sign of that. Kara had, truth be told, checked in on Lena every once in a while with her x-ray vision, and she had come to the conclusion her boss had a drink in her hand 80% of the time. 

Still, Kara asked, “Why do you?” 

The two loaded into the elevator. 

Lena huffed, and started with, “Oh, Kara.” She looked like she was having trouble carrying the folder piled full of papers with one hand, and Kara reached over to take them from her. Lena let her, and gave her a look of thanks, before continuing. “Being a woman running a company this big, not to mention being a woman related to the most infamous family in the world, means dealing with a herd of old, rich men who don’t think you’re capable of the job and spend every waking moment trying to get you fired or get you to quit.” 

Kara’s eyebrows knit close together as she thought about that. She knew she should not at all found it surprising, but she did. “That’s... Pardon my choice of words, but that’s just dumb.” Lena laughed lightly at that like she was amused by Kara’s apology for the word dumb. “You’re never not working, who would be more suited to run this company than you?” 

One thing Kara had immediately learned about Lena Luthor was that she put an inhumane amount of time into her work instead of herself or anything else. 

“One would think that’s enough to be considered a good CEO,” Lena agreed in a sour tone, “but, apparently, I’m just ‘not suited to run a company’.” 

Kara immediately disliked whoever these people were. She, along with every single person in National City and the United States, had seen the countless news articles about Lena Luthor after Lex Luthor’s arrest. The woman had single-handedly changed LuthorCorp into L-Corp and had entirely changed the company’s direction of murder and harm into one of good. Supergirl had been there, albeit briefly, when Lena’s press conference had been attacked and despite the explosions and attempted homicide towards her, Lena had pressed on and rebuilt the company. 

If nothing else, Lena Luthor was hardworking, stubborn, and smart. Kara had respected that much of her even before meeting Lena personally, even before knowing Lena past the magazine gossip columns and frightful rumors. Her week of working here was only proving to her that Lena was everything _except_ for what those terrible rumors said about her, and she was more than apt to run L- Corp. 

Kara knew that she definitely would not be able to run a place like L-Corp herself, and she was Supergirl. Lena was only human and yet poured her life into her work. 

“That’s quite alright, though,” Lena said suddenly, and Kara looked at her with some surprise. Lena caught her with eye contact, and explained with a small smirk, “I think I hold my ground rather well. Maybe you’ll find it surprising, but I don’t exactly sit there and take it without saying anything.” 

A wide smile growing on her face, Kara shook her head as they walked down a hallway to one of the many, many conference rooms. “That doesn’t surprise me at all,” She told Lena truthfully, “I can’t see you being all bark and no bite. Plus, I don’t think you could have totally changed L-Corp if you didn’t have some fight to you. You don’t really seem like the type to just deal with it.” 

The two of them came to a stop just outside of the conference room, and Kara could not hear the men Lena so very much disliked. In fact, she was sure that nobody was even in the room yet. 

Kara’s comment made Lena’s smirk melt into a smile. She raised one of her perfect eyebrows and took her folder from Kara. “You’re a good judge of character, then, Kara,” She informed her, and Kara shrugged sheepishly while nodding. 

Kara opened the door up so she could hold it open for Lena, and it confirmed her idea that nobody had even arrived yet. Lena took one look at the empty room, then glanced at Kara and explained like she was reading Kara’s very thoughts, “You know, if I wasn’t the very first person to these meetings, I would never hear the end of it.” 

That made sense. It would only fuel their ideology that Lena was not fit to run a huge company. “If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late,” Kara said instantly, repeating her very thoughts from her first day working here. 

“Exactly,” Lena confirmed, and she seemed satisfied with how Kara responded. “I definitely made a good move with hiring you,” Lena said without warning, and that comment surprised Kara more than anything else Lena had said. 

Yet, before Kara could attempt to stutter out a poorly executed response, Lena walked into the empty room. She set her papers and coffee down on the table and looked back at Kara. “I’ll be done in about two hours,” She said, “You can go ahead and get lunch, I want you back here by then.” 

Kara nodded quickly, adjusting her glasses with one finger. 

“You may go,” Lena said and dismissed her with a wave of her hand. Kara let the door slam shut and she scurried back down the hall. And, for once with decent timing, the comm in her ear went off. 

— 

“Yeah, Alex,” Supergirl grunted into her comm, punching a large, muscular man who was trying to attack her. He fell over onto the ground in pain and clutched his arm while squirming. “Are you okay?” Supergirl asked him, squinting, and used her x-ray vision to see if his arm was broken. “Nah, you’re good, it’ll stop hurting in a bit. Sorry. Anyway, Alex, dinner at my place tonight? Potstickers?” 

“Sounds good to me,” Alex’s voice came through. An ambulance arrived on the scene then, sirens wailing, ready to pick up the driver of the crashed bus, who had passed out. Then, Alex added, “Should you be talking about potstickers right now?” 

Supergirl lifted up the prison bus from where it lay in a ditch with no more struggle than it would take for a human to life a backpack. She set it upright on the road. “It’s always time to talk about potstickers,” She told Alex firmly and looked at the prisoners who had not attempted to escape after the bus crashed. “Thanks for not making your own problems worse,” She told them, picked up the man laying on the ground, and pushed him inside the bus. 

As two EMTs left the ambulance and came for the bus, followed by four armed officers, Supergirl flew up and scanned the area around them. 

“Whatever you say,” Alex sighed into the comm, before asking, “You found the escaped prisoners yet, Supergirl?” 

“Yep,” Supergirl assured, as she spotted four men running in separate directions, donned in orange jumpsuits in all their prisoner glory. “So, you’re coming tonight?” She flew down and grabbed the first man before he could even notice her coming, and did the same with the other three before 

Alex’s voice came through. “I’ll be there.” 

Supergirl took this confirmation and was extremely satisfied. She dropped off the four men with the police and flew away to a certain destination that she figured she just needed to go to. 

Alex and she had not talked at all outside of Supergirl work for the past few weeks, so the accepted offer of coming over later that night made Supergirl—Made Kara Danvers—feel hopeful. Alex was unabashedly angry at Kara’s choice of work, and Kara had in turn been undeniably angry at that. 

Supergirl touched down behind a building, changed quickly into Kara Danvers, and went inside the building to get both herself and Lena something to eat. 

Not 20 minutes later, did Kara get to L-Corp. 

“Lena?” Kara knocked lightly on the doors to Lena’s office. She did not, however, receive a response. Squinting slightly, Kara lowered her glasses just enough to see over them and x-ray the room. Lena was not there, but— 

“Kara, sorry,” Lena’s voice came from behind her and Kara, honest to Rao, jumped out of her skin, practically slamming her glasses back onto her face. “I’m also sorry for apparently startling you,” Lena added at the sight and walked past Kara to open the door. “Come in, please.” 

Kara followed her into her oddly beautiful office, fidgeting with the brown paper bag she held. 

“You seem a bit jumpy,” Lena commented. 

Nervously, Kara shrugged. “Don’t I always, though?” 

“Maybe,” Lena laughed and shook her head. “Did I keep you waiting there long? I had to run down to my lab and get something.” 

With that said, Kara noticed the thing Lena was holding. She could not, for the life of her, tell what it was. It was about the size and shape of a computer mouse. “I was only waiting for a second, don’t worry,” Kara assured, and then with a smile, she held up the bag. “I thought you could use a little sugary goodness after your meeting. You do like donuts, right?” 

The question seemed to put Lena off. She fumbled with the small object in her hands for a split second for she set it down and leaned against her clean, white desk. “I’ve actually never had a donut,” She admitted, “Mother had a strict no-sweets policy when I was growing up.” 

Kara was absolutely positive her jaw hit the floor and her eyes went wide in a comical manner. “You’ve never had donuts?” She asked in horror, completely genuine horror, and opened the bag without another thought. This was urgent. “I know you’re my boss and _you_ tell _me_ what to do, but I’m gonna have to insist you eat this right now for your own good.” She held out a pink, strawberry donut. 

Eyes sparkling with so much more kindness and optimism than they had earlier that morning, Lena took the donut from Kara, holding one hand under it to catch any crumbs that may fall. “Well, if it’s for my own good then I suppose I have no choice,” Lena joked, and held the donut with one hand, so she could use the other hand to pinch off a tiny piece of the donut. Seemingly hesitant, Lena took the piece between her teeth and shut her mouth, eyebrows furrowing as if the tasting of this donut required concentration. 

Kara watched her like this were the single most important event in all of history. More important than Lex Luthor being given 31 consecutive life sentences, more important than Supergirl coming to exist, more important than Lena completely rebuilding an entire company. Nope, Lena Luthor trying a donut for the first time takes the cake. 

Lena’s eyes went wide after a moment, her look of concentration fading to one of surprise. 

Kara’s smile grew wide. “Good, huh? Am I right, or am I right?” Although, Lena’s expression was more than enough of a confirmation. 

“I can definitely feel myself getting diabetes,” Lena joked, so dryly that Kara actually was not positive it was a joke, and yet she went ahead and pinched off another piece of donut, much larger than the first. 

“Worth it,” Kara informed her, laughing in amusement and out of proudness for being the person to introduce donuts to this kale-loving monster. She took her own donut from the bag and bit straight into it, savoring that first bite with all her heart. 

Lena’s face showed nothing but surprise and adoration. “Mother would be so upset,” She acknowledged with a grin. “She would probably see me take these two bites and have me sent to buy new dresses, saying I’d probably gone up a size or two.” 

“Your Mother and I would not get along,” Kara said in absolute sureness, “I love donuts too much.” 

“I think you’re the only person who’s offended by my Mother because she doesn’t like donuts,” Lena said, amused, “more than because she’s the Mother of Lex.” 

“Donuts!” Kara exclaimed like it were an appropriate argument. Lena seemed to appreciate the response all the same. 

The two women finished their donuts in peaceful silence. Kara was proud of herself and figured she was the best secretary ever for showing Lena the perfection of donuts. 

When they had both finished, Lena stood straight from where she had been leaning on her desk. “Kara,” She said to gain her attention, which she already had, anyway, and jabbed her finger in Kara’s direction as she declared, “I want to show you something.” With that said, she lifted the small device from her desk and held it up for Kara to see with the biggest smile Kara thought she had ever seen the woman give. 

Kara’s head fell to the side slightly. “What is it?” She asked, embarrassed in a silly way. She really hoped she was not expected to know what it was. 

“This,” Lena introduced, “is an alien detection device. It allows humans to find out who among them is not truly one of them.” 

With those words thrown out into the room, Kara felt her heart drop to her stomach. She had been working here for one week and now here she was, her boss in front of her with an alien detection device. “I-Is it?” 

Lena hummed in confirmation. “It’s not market ready yet. I mean, I’m still developing the prototype. I just finished this yesterday, you’re the first to see it, or hear about it.” She looked undeniably proud and satisfied by her invention, and Kara was torn. “I aim to have this device in every store, in every town, all across America.” 

A part of her wanted to try to convince Lena that it was a bad thing to create. But, Lena was her 

boss, and Kara figured arguing with her boss about an invention she was clearly proud of was not the best choice unless prompted for her opinion. Lena was not asking for an opinion right then, though. Instead, Kara asked as she fixed her glasses, “How does it work?” 

The question seemed to fuel Lena’s excitement. “It’s just a simple skin test,” Lena explained and held up the device so she was sure Kara had a good view of it. “A human gets one response, and any other being gets the other response. Let me show you what a negative response looks like.” 

Kara smiled, lips pulled tight, as Lena adjusted the device in her grip. 

Lena set her thumb gently on the invention. It took two seconds, but the light lit up green. “See?” Lena told Kara, holding the device forward, “Now you try.” 

Eyes locked onto the device in front of her, Kara asked suddenly and louder than she intended, “May I ask a question about it?” This little, metal object could out her to her boss in two seconds flat. 

Lena’s smile did not falter, and Kara thought she must have made a somewhat decent decision, having asked the question to buy herself some time. Lena seemed happy to be asked about her invention. She had, after all, said Kara was the first one even told about it, so it would make sense she was eager to answer about it. 

“Um, is this sort of thing a good idea?” Kara went ahead with her question and forced herself to stare deep into Lena’s powerful eyes rather than the unnerving device. “Won’t this device... Doesn’t it go against everything America is supposed to stand for?” 

This, however, did cause Lena’s smile to falter, which caused Kara some concern. “Such as...?” She prompted, as she set her device back on her desk and crossed her arms across her chest in a move that asserted her position of power quite well. 

“Well, freedom?” Kara giggled in utter nervousness, attempting to pull anything and everything from her brain. “Against persecution, oppression. America has always been a country full of immigrants.” 

“It’s also always been a country of humans,” Lena argued, her eyebrows knit together. “If aliens want to be citizens that’s now their right, but if humans want to know which of their fellow citizens aren’t actually one of them, then that’s their right, too.” Lena seemed to be rather set in this belief, and the way she had chosen to word it made Kara feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. 

Lena continued, her smile entirely gone now and replaced with a look of determination, “I’m a businesswoman. L-Corp is in the business of making money, and this device is going to make us a fortune.” She pointed to the device on her desk in a rough manner to make her point clear. She began to round her desk to take a seat in her cushy office chair, as she said, “But, unlike my brother, I’m going to do it for the good of the world.” 

Kara used that simple second that Lena was not looking to pull her glasses down and direct her heat vision onto Lena’s prototype. She hoped to Rao that would short-circuit the thing enough to stop it from reading her DNA. Oh, Rao. She smiled, the gesture full of fake innocence, at Lena when the woman turned back around. 

“So?” Lena asked suddenly, drawing Kara out of her trance, and she was holding the device again. She had the most mischievous smile, and she was biting her bottom lip. 

Kara’s brain somewhat short-circuited at that. “Uh, right,” Kara stepped forward. “Um, here goes.” She took a deep breath, forced a smile, and set her thumb on the panel. One second passed. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds. Kara was terrified. Finally, a green light showed and Kara had never felt more relieved in her life. 

“See? Works perfectly,” Lena said as she pulled the device away. Kara could not help but think Lena looked disappointed in some way or another. Her smile had faded again, her eyebrows had drawn together in concentration, and she was looking at her own prototype like she was confused and did not have any clue of what was going on. Suddenly, so quickly Kara felt like she could have gotten whiplash, Lena plastered on a smile and looked up at Kara, “You know what, Kara, please take the rest of today off. I’ll just be doing paperwork for the rest of the evening, which I can handle well on my own.” 

“Are you sure?” Kara asked, completely taken aback by Lena’s change of mood and offer. “I can stay—“ 

“Have a nice evening,” She said, and the tone she used meant she was serious. It meant that it was an order, not an offer. 

“You, too,” Kara said slowly, “Lena.”

 

* * *

It did not make sense.

Or, it did make sense. 

Maybe _Lena_ did not make any sense. 

Of course, the device registered Kara as a human. Of course, it lit green and not red. Lena had no idea what she was thinking, had no idea why she had felt such a surge of disappointment at the green light response to Kara. She had not brought the device to Kara to see a red response, she had not expected either green nor red. She had just been showing her assistant her latest invention. 

Lena wrote so furiously with her pen that she was afraid the paper would tear underneath the tip. Her hand held the pen so tightly it was indenting shapes into her pale skin. 

Kara Danvers was just Kara Danvers. Her assistant was just her assistant. There was not anything more to her than that. Lena was not expecting a red light. Lena was not expecting a green light. She was not expecting anything. She was just... 

Lena glared at her invention. She had intended to make it perfect. She had succeeded in that. It was made to perfectly decide whether one was human or otherwise. No mistakes. 

Without much thought, Lena put down her pen and set her thumb on the device’s scanner. She was not sure what the point of her thought was, but she did it anyway. 

One second. Two seconds. Red. 

A red light emitted from the device. The positive response to an alien using it. Unbelieving, Lena reset it and set her thumb down on the scanner again. It lit up red once more. And, despite Lena not knowing why she had even thought to rescan herself, she felt a sense of satisfaction outweigh her disappointment. Maybe she was not as confusing as she thought she was being, not as ridiculous. The Luthor stood abruptly from her desk, grabbed her prototype, and headed for her personal lab. 

The elevator could not read her thumbprint and scan her face nearly fast enough, in Lena’s opinion. She needed to be inside of her lab right that instant. She had to figure it out. 

The elevator opened, finally, and Lena made a beeline for the first place she thought of. She pulled open a drawer a bit forcefully, grabbed one of the screwdrivers that rested inside, and held it up to her invention. She unscrewed with some force and then unscrewed again and again and again until the screws had all fallen with a metallic clatter to the countertop. 

Lena slid her well-kept nails under the separation between the metal, peeled open the bottom of the alien detection device, and what she saw both confused and satisfied her immensely. The wires inside sparked dangerously when she went to touch them, and she drew back instantly. The wires, which had been colored and working not three hours before, were black and fried. The device was absolutely destroyed. The wires were burned. If the broken device gave Lena, a human, the red light response, then for an alien... 

Green light. Lena had not noticed until the green light popped up that her thumb had been sitting halfway on the scanner as she held the device. Lena’s flurry of thoughts came to a sudden stop at the sight. It gave her a green light, now. 

Maybe the device was just faulty all along. 

Lena honest to God had no idea what to think about Kara Danvers. She had no substantial evidence of anything at all and had no idea of what she was even expecting to find in the first place. She had no idea what she was searching for. But her instinct told her that there was much more to her fidgety, anxious assistant than what met the eye. 

Kara Danvers was not normal by any means. Lena could feel in the deepest depths of her brilliant mind that this woman was something special. 

Each day, Kara chose to wear the most normal of clothing she possibly could. Her golden hair was set neatly in an updo, black glasses placed on her nose. Some variant of khakis and pastel button downs or cardigans had become expected by Lena for Kara to wear at that point. Overall, Kara made her undeniable beauty look as normal and plain as day. If one were to see her out in the streets of National City, there would be no reason to take a second look. 

Her personality was something that should not seem out of the ordinary, and yet even her personality came to a certain point that it made Lena curious. Kara was nervous. She stuttered, had a habit of adjusting her glasses for no reason, seemed to find peace by fiddling with whatever her hands were on. It was hard to believe someone like that could be anything but just an anxious girl. Yet, what made Lena intrigued, was her smile. Kara Danvers had the infectious type of smile that made a person drop their guard. Even Lena, who had been raised to shove her emotions down into boxes, could not keep herself put together as well as she should be able to when she saw Kara’s hopeful smile. Kara had a good heart, she had good intentions, and while maybe it was not a total rarity for people to be good, Kara had the girl scout goodness of a person who wanted to be a hero in some way or another. 

Kara was intelligent. The woman being smart was not in and of itself what Lena found interesting. It was the fact she seemed to have much more book knowledge than a woman like her should have. The truth was, Kara had not received an education past that of a public high school, according to her files. Lena had taken to asking Kara a random question every day, one that Kara should not easily know, and every single time Kara would answer with nearly the exact dictionary definition. 

Underneath the simplistic clothing and quirky behavior, Kara was foreignly intelligent, fast, beautiful, and clever. 

In some ways, Lena thought Kara seemed to have trained herself to be normal the same way Lena had trained herself to be emotionless. No matter how hard Lena tried, she did have emotions and sometimes she slipped up her act like she had been recently around Kara. 

Lena had work to do.

 

* * *

Kara practically threw herself onto Alex the second she came inside. She had missed her, greatly. Especially since the last time Alex had come over, they had spent an hour shouting and arguing until Alex just left, slamming the door so violently on the way out that the sound had hurt Kara’s ears. 

“Whoa,” Alex grunted, but hugged her alien sister back just as tightly. “Don’t act so happy to see me,” She said, voice riddled with faux annoyance but the tightness of her hug gave away the fact she was just as happy to see Kara. 

With a final squeeze, Kara let go before her super strength could get out of control. “I missed you,” She admitted, and she grabbed her sister’s hand to drag her over to the couch. Alex gave her hand a brief squeeze and Kara knew that was the equivalent of ‘I missed you, too.’ 

Together, they sat down, and Kara tried to think of something to say. “How’s... How’s Maggie?” Her sister had been dating a woman by the name of Maggie Sawyer for a few months until they had a fall out. 

Maggie was a cop, and Kara thought they were suited for each other rather well. A cop and a government agent who were both intelligent and competitive and seemed to feed off of each other’s competitive spirit to push themselves further. Kara liked Maggie, even if she herself and Maggie were incredibly different. But, it just had not worked out, and yet the two were still trying to be friends.

“She’s good,” Alex told her, relaxing into the couch. “She’s been investigating a case and is having fun not telling me a single detail.” After a second, she added in a mumble, “And she’s been making fun of both of us for overreacting, as she said it.” 

That sounded like Maggie. Kara smiled. “And you? How have you been?” 

“I’ve been okay,” Alex shrugged. “The DEO has been surprisingly quiet without you bursting in,” She admitted, smiling softly at Kara, “I think J’onn has missed you, too. Don’t tell him I said that, though.” 

This brought a laugh from Kara. “Promise I won’t,” She assured her sister, drawing a line across her lips in a zipping motion. 

“How’s... Work?” Alex asked, and the light mood fell with that topic. Kara knew it had to come up between them, but she hadn’t been looking forward to it. Alex did not like the fact Supergirl’s civilian identity was working for Lex Luthor’s sister. 

Taking a deep breath, Kara answered genuinely, “It’s been really good.” That was the honest truth. “L— Miss Luthor isn’t very bossy and her coffee order is seriously the most simple thing ever. Eve has told me Cat Grant’s coffee order is, like, the most complicated order on the planet and if one thing is wrong she’s in trouble.” 

Alex took this information in and nodded slowly. 

“Miss Luthor spends a lot of her time in her office,” Kara went on, “And I get my own office, Alex, and it’s got, like, a big window and I put flowers and pictures in it. And Miss Luthor is actually a really good boss, she doesn’t make me feel like I can’t talk or joke or anything like that.” She had put a bunch of pictures of her and Alex in there. “She actually let me go home early today.” 

That last part seemed to grab Alex’s attention. She looked at Kara, carefully. “Why?” 

Now, Kara was unsure if she had said something wrong. “She said she just had to do paperwork for the rest of the night.” Which, to Kara, seemed like harmless enough of a reason. If anything, sending Kara home was a kind decision. 

Alex seemed to take this answer and store it away like she was going to use it later. “Sounds nice of her.” She commented though Kara was not sure she quite meant that. She nodded anyway. 

“I’m sorry that my choice upsets you,” Kara said suddenly, gaining Alex’s attention. “I really am sorry that you don’t like me working for her. But I’ve been given no reason that it’s bad so far. And I don’t want us to be fighting over it, even if we disagree. Okay?” 

Alex looked surprised at the apology and question. “Okay,” She repeated. She seemed like she was not expecting Kara to try and talk reasonably about it if they got into the subject. Kara hadn’t been expecting Alex to act reasonably, either. “I... You’re right.” 

At least they got that out of the way. Kara gave a gentle sigh of relief, before falling into her sister and saying, “Maggie is right, we’re both big dummies.” 

Above her, Alex rolled her eyes and gently shoved Kara’s head off her lap. “Don’t even say that. She’ll find out somehow and it’ll fuel her huge ego.” Alex warned, only half-way joking about her confident ex. “I try to make sure that doesn’t grow more than it already has.” 

“Maggie’s not... That over-confident,” Kara tried to defend Maggie.

Alex gave her a look.

“Okay, you’re right,” Kara admitted and laughed. “She can be a little over-confident.” 

Alex sighed tragically. “Still liked her, though.” She shut her eyes and shook her head. 

“You meant to say ‘madly in love with her’,” Kara corrected quietly, and pushed Alex’s shoulder gently. “Don’t try to downplay it.” Kara had honestly never seen Alex so happy before Maggie came into her life. She had never thought her sister was sad or unfulfilled by any means until she saw how she changed when she fell for Maggie and Maggie drew her from her shell, helped her realize who she was. Even if Maggie was competitive and stubborn, that was the real reason Kara had adored her. Alex had been so withdrawn and sad before, Maggie had changed that, and now Alex had fallen right back into that and Kara had no idea how to help her.

Which, might have been one reason Kara was trying to get past Alex’s hatred for her new job. Alex was having a hard time.

“You’re not wrong,” Alex admitted, a small sad smile on her lips at the thought of her ex. 

Kara had loved that, before. She had loved how Alex honestly was unable to control her smile around that woman even if she tried. But, now that smile was just riddled with sadness, and Kara could truly feel Alex’s hurting even if she tried to act like the relationship was just a mistake, a slip up, that she would get over.

That small, real smile of Alex’s spoke more than her words could when she was with Maggie, and even now that it was sad, it still spoke volumes.

— 

The morning started with coffee. Kara had begun to order Lena coffee before she even stepped foot into the building to start her work day. Lena seemed thankful to get the hot drink every morning without even asking. 

“Thanks, Tom,” Kara smiled sweetly to the man always working the stand Lena adored. He was a nice guy and had been entirely friendly with Kara every time she came to get coffee. He handed her Lena’s coffee as he smiled and nodded in return, and she handed him a few dollars to pay for it. 

Kara found her next destination to be, of course, Lena’s office. Kara knocked, fully knowing that Lena would be there. She had never asked when exactly Lena came to work every morning, but she was quite certain Lena was the first person to arrive at L-Corp every single day. Kara truly could not understand how anybody could claim she was not fit to run the company when it was her whole world.

“Good morning, Lena!” She greeted with as much joy as one woman could possibly have as she entered Lena’s office. Lena took a break from her typing to glance up and smile in that way Kara knew she tried to keep under control. 

“With your amount of optimism, how could anyone not have a good morning?” Lena asked in good nature. Her laptop shut with a nearly silent thud. She pointed with one finger to the couch in her office, indicating for Kara to sit, as she herself stood and headed for it. “I swear, you’re going to ruin my Luthor pessimism.” 

“Good,” Kara said and smiled as she sat and held Lena’s coffee out for her. Lena took it gratefully and sat next to Kara. “No point living with a pessimistic outlook.” 

Lena shrugged as she drank her boiling hot coffee without even a flinch at the heat. “Might be easy to be so optimistic when every single person in the city isn’t preparing for you to blow up a building,” She countered dryly, and Kara could not honestly claim she did not have a pretty good point. 

“Kara,” Lena said before Kara could think of a response, “did you know I used to be a chess champion?” 

Kara’s gaze drifted to the small, black and white chessboard on the table in front of Lena’s couch. “I think I guessed you were at least a hobbyist,” Kara grinned, looking back to Lena. “Champion makes more sense, though. I think you overwork yourself too much to just be a hobbyist at something.” 

“You’re a good judge of character,” Lena told her for the second time, smiling in a cocky way. Lena knew she was good at the game, she knew she worked hard. 

“So I’ve been told,” Kara answered. 

“Anyway,” Lena moved on, staring at Kara in that way only she did. Carefully and like she was studying her every move, making note of each and calculating in her brain. “I had a point. My point is that I play the long game. Even if it takes days, weeks, I play carefully, slowly, and I observe, and I win in the end.” 

Kara was quite positive she was not talking about chess. What she was actually talking about, Kara was not sure, but she seemed dedicated and her eyes were burning into Kara’s very soul. 

“That seems like a good method, then,” Kara said dumbly, feeling a thousand times stupider while at the receiving end of Lena’s gaze. A lot of times, her nervousness as Kara Danvers was a show, but around Lena, it was more than real. It was something she could not quite explain. “Is there a certain game you’re playing?” 

Lena set her elbow on the back of the couch and rested her head on her hand. “I’m not quite sure. But, since I’m playing the long game,” She spoke in a challenging way, challenging Kara to something Kara could not even figure out, “we’ll find out in the end.” 

“We’ll see, then,” Kara said, curiosity overcoming her. 

“We’ll see,” Lena repeated Kara’s words. She finally relented with that sharp stare, instead looking at some spot on her couch. “Mind if I admit something?” 

Kara looked at her, her expression asking her to continue. 

“I think you ruined me,” Lena looked at Kara again, completely serious. Kara started to get nervous, unsure of what Lena meant, but before she could spiral, Lena finished. “I’ve been craving a donut since you gave me one.” 

This got Kara to laugh, loudly. She took that as a victory. “Good! You should want one.” She nudged Lena’s shoulder slightly, not thinking about it, and realized she probably should not have the second she did it. She started talking the second she did, hoping to draw Lena’s attention away. “Do you want me to get you more? You know you can buy them by the dozen.” 

“By the dozen?” Lena asked in a hushed tone, with wide eyes. 

“Yep. 12 donuts per box. And you can get different types of donuts.” Kara felt like she held all the knowledge in the world and was bestowing it upon this woman. “Filled donuts, glazed donuts, donuts with sprinkles, you name it.” 

Lena looked like she was going to cave before she shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. “On second thought, I made a horrible choice hiring you,” She mumbled, “Soon enough the gossip columns are gonna be done with ‘when will she blow up the city?’ and move onto ‘Lena Luthor is letting go of herself’.” 

“Lena, as your assistant, my job is to assist you,” Kara set the tips of her fingers together and looked at her boss with absolute seriousness, “and I can tell you for certain that you work too hard to not deserve a dozen donuts, and I can assist you by getting you those donuts.” 

“I think you became my assistant just to fatten me up,” Lena joked and shook her head, and waved her hand at Kara. “Who hired you? Lex? Is Lillian testing my willpower?” 

“I’ve made up my mind, I’m getting you a dozen donuts.” Kara shrugged, and stood up, fully intent on flying to the best donut shop she knew of. 

Lena stood up, too, and said, “Kara, as your boss, I’m telling you absolutely not.” 

“Hmm, okay,” Kara admitted defeat. But, she really only relented because she thought of a loophole to Lena’s words. Lena would have to be much more careful with her wording. 

— 

“Kara, I told you no donuts,” Lena warned, staring at the pink box Kara was carrying with both hands into her office. 

“No, you told your assistant to not get you donuts.” Kara corrected, “I’m on my lunch break. I’m not your assistant right now and you’re not my boss right now.” With that loophole explained, Kara set down the box in the middle of Lena’s desk and opened it so Lena would have to look at the dozen delicious donuts. 

“I—“ Lena seemed genuinely shocked. Kara didn’t think she had yet seen the Luthor genuinely be speechless. She always had some sort of clever comeback or comment. “Kara.” 

“Yes?” Kara asked innocently. 

Lena stared down at the donuts for an entire two minutes before she gave in and picked up a glazed blueberry one. “Kara, you’re too clever to be someone’s assistant.” She said before pinching off a bite. “I’m actually sort of impressed. And more convinced that you’re working for someone.” 

“Yep, just going about my perfectly planned evil scheme to get Lena Luthor to eat junk food,” Kara teased in return, “it’s going well.” 

“Well, Miss Evil Mastermind,” Lena said, making eye contact with Kara, “When you’re back to being my assistant, please get me a gym membership and work it into my schedule.” She shook her head like she were annoyed but her eyes gave her away. “I’m evidently going to be needing it as long as you’re around.” Kara rolled her eyes at the implication Lena would need to work out. Lena was just beautiful. Objectively speaking, of course. 

“Donuts aren’t even the half of what I have to show you,” Kara warned, a wide grin on her face. “Potstickers from Noonan’s, Big Belly Burger, you better get ready.” 

“Oh, God,” Lena said with false fear, as the two walked over to Lena’s couch. “Yes, definitely get me the gym membership. Or maybe at this rate, I just need to buy myself an entire gym.” 

Unsure if that was a joke, Kara furrowed her eyebrows and asked, “Can you do that?” 

“Kara, I could buy every donut shop in National City and the gym, and still be unreasonably rich,” Lena informed her with complete seriousness, as she gave into Kara’s pressure and picked another donut to eat. 

“You could buy a whole donut shop?” Kara felt like drooling at the thought. Lena laughed at her, at what exactly Kara was not sure, but it got Lena laughing. Lena was using her hand to cover her smile. 

“You know, my favorite food is actually potstickers,” Kara told Lena for some reason, and even though she shouldn’t be and had no reason to be, Lena seemed genuinely interested in listening to Kara. “But donuts are a close second.” 

“Potstickers, huh?” Lena questioned, raising her eyebrow as a look of concentration took over her. 

“Yeah,” Kara confirmed, now thinking about the delicious food, “I started eating them when I first came to ea— Eliza’s house. That’s my adoptive Mom. And I’ve been obsessed with them literally ever since.” Kara was absolutely useless in the presence of Lena Luthor. Kara wanted to slap herself, she literally was about to say when she came to earth. 

However intriguing the potstickers were, Lena seemed more interested in Eliza. “You were adopted?” Lena asked, and she looked surprised, and maybe understanding. 

Kara nodded. “My parents died when I was 12. Eliza and Jeremiah, the Danvers family, took me in and raised me even though I was probably a serious handful.” She honestly believed that. She was forever grateful for those two for dealing with her. When Kara first arrived on Earth, she had no idea how to control her powers. There were more than a few incidents around the Danvers’s household. 

Lena smiled softly. “Of course you were a handful,” She stated in a matter of fact way, and Kara looked at her in curiosity, “I told you not to bring me donuts as my secretary and you bring me donuts during your lunch break. I have no reason to doubt you were a handful as a kid.” 

“Hey, I’m incredibly generous and smart,” Kara defended herself jokingly, puffing her chest out in an arrogant manner. 

Lena rolled her eyes and waved at Kara to stop that. Then, she looked serious again. “Did you know I was adopted?” She questioned Kara. 

Honestly, this took Kara by surprise. “No, I didn’t.” She had never heard that Lena was adopted by the Luthors. She never would have even thought that for a moment. The Luthors did not exactly seem like people up for adopting kids. 

“I was,” Lena confirmed, her smile somewhat sad, “when I was four I was brought to the United States and into the Luthor household. Well, Luthor Mansion. Lionel loved me in his own way, Lillian avoided me as much as she could except to yell at me, and Lex was the only person I trusted.” She pursed her dark red lips for a second, before continuing, “I had always been hopeful about the knowledge I’d been adopted. Because, if I was adopted, I didn’t have the same blood as the rest of my family. And maybe I wouldn’t turn out like Lex.” 

Kara felt like there was a ‘but’ to this story. She listened carefully, her attention fully on Lena, and she nodded to tell Lena to continue. 

“Then, Lillian told me that Lionel was my Father. My Mother was a woman I don’t know, but Lionel was my real Father.” Lena laughed in a pathetic manner, sad and unpleasant, “I was absolutely crushed, because I’m a bastard child of Lionel’s and that means I do have those genes in me.” 

Kara’s gaze fell to Lena’s hand. She thought that she shouldn’t even try, that it was uncalled for. But, at the same time, she knew she was not here as Lena’s employee right then, and Lena’s face looked crestfallen at the memories. Deciding to do what she thought was right at the moment, Kara gently took hold of Lena’s hand. 

Lena’s eyes widened and her gaze immediately flicked down to look at their hands, and she didn’t make any move in return but she didn’t try to pull away either, so Kara took that as it being okay. 

“I don’t think it matters if you’re blood or not,” Kara told Lena slowly. “You’re you, not Lionel, or Lillian, or Lex. And, to be honest, I think you’re too smart to follow in their footsteps.” There was not much Kara knew from before she had met Lena herself, but she did know a big part of why Lex was finally charged was because Lena Luthor had worn a wire around him, risking her own life. Kara didn’t think that woman’s story could turn into being bad herself. 

Lena didn’t answer right away, seeming thoughtful, and Kara added to her claim, “Hey, you said it yourself. I’m a good judge of character.” With that, she grinned widely, and Lena seemed to have accepted it because she smiled and sighed. 

“I suppose I did say that,” Lena grumbled her defeat, still with that beautiful smile. She returned Kara’s hand hold with a brief squeeze before both of them pulled away. “Are you done making me lose at things in my own office for today, Kara?” She asked in good nature, and raised one of her eyebrows, “First your donut loophole and now using my own words against me.” 

Kara stood, and raised her hands in a look of innocence. “Sorry,” She said, trying not to laugh at Lena, and she pushed her glasses further onto her nose. “Were you serious about the gym?” 

“Absolutely,” Lena said firmly. Her serious look fell back into her lovely smile and kind eyes then. “But that would take up far too much of my time, so I’m just going to have to ask you as both my assistant, and otherwise, to not flood me with too much unhealthy food.” 

Kara took this as a win. “Okay, you want a salad from that place you like later?” She asked, as Lena’s assistant this time. She would never be able to understand why Lena genuinely enjoyed greens. Lena had made it clear to her that she didn’t even really like meat very much. Lena’s diet consisted of salad, kale, kombucha, coffee, and alcohol. Kara had also discovered that if she didn’t mention food first, Lena would completely forget it existed nine times out of ten. Kara could not understand her. 

Eyes opening widely, Lena nodded quickly. “Yes,” She said as she retreated back to her desk. She stared at the donuts like she was rethinking, but controlled herself and shut the box. “I need to cleanse my system after this. Will you take these, um... Anywhere that I can’t see them?” 

Kara could not help herself. She laughed at Lena as little as she could. “They’re that good, huh?” 

Lena sighed heavily and dramatically. “What am I supposed to do with you?” She asked rhetorically, but then pursed her lips and decided, “Actually, it’s nice having someone to challenge, though. Go ahead and keep trying to outsmart me, I need the mental exercise.” She gave Kara a look. “For now, though, I’m going to need you to go to my penthouse. It’s all the way across the city.” 

Blinking stupidly for a moment, Kara asked, “What do you need from there?” 

Her face was one of a challenge. “Actually, I hadn’t needed anything. But now I’m thinking I need a USB I left at home,” She bit her lip for a moment, thinking, before saying, “I’d like you back in no later than 45 minutes.” 

Kara raised one eyebrow, unintentionally giving her boss a look of confusion. Kara knew it took just under that time for Lena to get to work every morning, let alone to go to and from again. 

“If you’re going to use loopholes and test me,” Lena said with a shrug, “I’m going to challenge you.” Lena could not keep that smile from forming on her face. “My driver can give you my address and I’ll call my doorman to let you in. See you soon, Kara.” 

Unable to help herself, Kara grinned as she lifted up the donut box from Lena’s desk. “I’ll take that challenge,” She said confidently, knowing full well that she could fly to Germany and back three times in the time Lena had given her. Little did Lena know, Kara was much quicker than any human could be, much quicker than her last assistant and probably anybody in this building. 

“45 minutes,” Lena repeated. 

“I’ll see you in 35,” Kara retorted and took one moment to appreciate the amused look on Lena’s face, before she turned and left the office, fully intent on winning. 

Kara made it back with Lena’s USB in 23 minutes, rendering the woman completely speechless. 


	3. Heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess and Lena talk, Lena is blamed for a crime, and Supergirl makes a risky decision that causes her and Lena to bond.

Lena had come to understand one further detail about Kara. “Would you like to explain to me how you went to my penthouse and back so quickly the other day?” She asked for about the tenth time despite knowing what the answer would be, leaning next to Kara where she could type on Kara’s new laptop. “I’m curious.”

With that nervous laugh Lena had begun to appreciate a bit more than she should, Kara said beside her, “I told you, I just drove. And it was just that one time.” Lena had sent Kara on more impossible timed missions and yet only that one instance had achieved the impossible. That one, unreasonably short time to go to her apartment and back, versus the next ten timed trials in which Kara had been on time or late. Yet, Lena was not convinced it was just a fluke.

What Lena had begun to piece together was that Kara was book-smart, but not so much street-smart. Lena could ask her anything about quantum physics, trigonometry, calculus, anything out of a textbook, and Kara would have no problem answering. But, Kara was not good at keeping her strangeness on the down low.

What Lena could not figure out, was if Kara was purposely tossing her these bones or if Kara seriously was slipping up while trying to impress her. Her assumption was that it was the latter. If it was that reason, then Kara definitely was not as smart with secrets as she was with textbook knowledge. Which, was fine, since it only benefited Lena in her attempts.

“You just drove,” Lena mumbled in amusement. She did not mind at all if Kara kept telling her that. The woman’s slip ups were nearly as helpful as a full confession. “Of course. The roads must have been very clear for once, hm?”

“Oh, yeah,” Kara scoffed like that were obvious. “Really, really empty.”

The response was one that made Lena have to focus on preventing herself from laughing. Kara truly had been making Lena’s day every single time she was in the room. After growing up with the Luthors, Lena could tell when one was lying easily, but it did not take that ability to tell Kara was lying. It was somewhat entertaining.

“And...” Lena said as she tapped a final few keys on the keyboard, “that should do it.” She had set up Kara’s laptop so that she had access to general L-Corp files. Lena had her own secret files on her own laptop and nobody in the entire building was allowed to see those, but Kara could now see files for different things going on in L-Corp that were not strictly confidential to Lena. Kara was her assistant, after all.

Before Kara could answer, a voice came from outside Kara’s closed office door.

“Miss Luthor?” The voice called out, knocking, but not on Kara’s door.

Kara sat up straight, and Lena looked at her. She was staring straight at the wall in front of them, her glasses lowered ever so slightly, before her eyes widened a small bit. Lena made a mental note of that, for whatever reason. “Do you want me to go check who it is before you go out?” Kara asked Lena, making eye contact as she fixed her glasses.

“No,” Lena said and took an accidentally too-long moment to look at those gorgeous blue eyes before she shook her head. With that, she stood up straight, and went for Kara’s door, “I know who it is. I’ll see you in a bit, Kara.” She had recognized the voice immediately. It was one she would not soon forget.

Once Lena had opened the door, her belief of who it was standing in the hall was confirmed. There stood Jess by her closed office doors, hands together tightly in front of her and her foot tapping on the hard floor. Jess turned, looking like a deer in headlights as Lena emerged from Jess’ old office. Her eyes glanced past Lena and at Kara inside, before going back to Lena.

Lena felt an odd sense of relief at seeing Jess there. She smiled, and met Jess in a tight, brief hug. “I’ve told you again and again to call me Lena,” She scolded when they pulled away, and she headed inside her office with Jess right behind her. Lena had spent all of the years Jess had worked for the Luthors telling her to address her as Lena rather than Miss Luthor, and Jess had never once followed that.

“Old habits die hard, Miss Luthor,” Jess said simply in return, as she took a seat in a chair across from Lena’s desk. Lena rolled her eyes at her ex-assistant. At least she knew Jess was still the same person since moving on from being her secretary.

“Not that hard,” Lena retorted in good heart, and sat down in her own chair at her desk she had grown very accustomed to. “I think you’re just stubborn in your ways.”

“Maybe,” Jess agreed simply, and she was smiling in the close-lipped way she did. With some amount of nostalgia, she looked around Lena’s office. “I know it hasn’t been very long, but it’s still so strange to not spend every day in this building.”

Lena could definitely understand that. As happy as she was with Kara, and as motivated as she was to pick apart Kara with questions and tests until she figured her out, she missed Jess. After having Jess, who was entirely too uptight and too stressed at having everything be perfect, at her call every day for year after year... Being gone and replaced with the mysterious, challenging Kara Danvers was a bit of a shock to her mind.

Still, Lena said in return, “Now you’re spending everyday in another building.” She was completely happy with the way Jess had moved on from being her assistant, she had nearly needed to force Jess to move on.

“ _Still_ with your name on the building, so maybe it’s not so different,” Jess said.

“Probably much more eventful than waiting for me to ask for a coffee.”

“Much more eventful than your plain black coffee, yes,” Jess agreed, laughing shortly and quietly. Jess was never one to be very emotional. Kara was definitely very different compared to her previous assistant. Lena had easily found out that Kara runs on her emotions, she feels emotions strongly, carelessly, and acts upon those emotions. Jess is careful, calculative, and high-strung. Perhaps, Lena thought, that was why Kara was dreadfully terrible at hiding things.

“How has it been, Jess?” Lena asked, “With work, with you.”

For a brief moment, Jess looked like she was not sure what to say. Then, she said calmly, “It’s been going very well. I’m happy with it.” Then, calmly still yet with a hint of emotion in her voice as she stared down, “I don’t know how to thank you, Miss Luthor.”

The words barely got through to Lena before she set her arms on her desk to lean forward, eager on making her point. “This was my thanks to you,” She explained truthfully, “You’ve been working for my family for so long, and you were my friend even when my brother got arrested and the entire world hated myself and my family even more. So, you don’t even have to say the words thank you.”

Skeptical of this, Jess slowly relaxed. “If you’re sure,” She said in that slow, calculating manner of hers.

“I’m definitely sure,” Lena assured her, and sat back in her chair. “You’ve done more than I could ever attempt to thank you for, but thank you, Jess.”

Jess made a small noise of acceptance, before she looked at Lena with an all too familiar expression. Eyebrow cocked, lips raised the slightest bit into a smile. Lena had that expression time and time again. “And how has Miss Danvers been?”

Lena could not possibly help herself. Her smile she had before, which was genuine, just grew to the point her cheeks were starting to hurt. “Kara is a wonderful assistant, actually,” She assured Jess confidently, and went on despite Jess’s unbelieving expression, “I know you thought she was the absolute last person I should have hired, but she has a brilliant mind, far smarter than the average person, and she works hard to do things right.”

“Permission to comment on that?” Jess asked with hesitance. In return, Lena simply nodded. “I haven’t seen you smile like that in... Well, I haven’t _ever_ seen you smile like that, Miss Luthor.”

For a moment, Lena stared at Jess with her mouth open, searching for a response. She very well knew that was true. She had realized it. But she certainly had not expected Jess to call her out on it. Unknowing what Jess’s point was, she went on about her new assistant, “She’s a welcome challenge. There’s something about her that’s different from everybody I’ve met and I very much intend on figuring it out. It’s a nice thing to focus on compared to paperwork and arrogant men in my meetings. Plus, she’s not arrogant in her brilliance, which is always a nice change compared to many people in my... Circles.”

Lena went on, fully spilling each and every detail she had noticed about Kara Danvers. “She has this thing to her, I don’t know... This radiance. She has a warm smile, kind eyes, and she’s impossible to dislike. She’s even managed to befriend my security team, and I have never once seen a hint of emotion from those men before her presence. She’s hopeful and optimistic, I’ve found that it’s somewhat difficult to be cynical around her. There’s some sort of fire to her, some sort of determination and will that I can’t quite put my finger on.”

Jess was looking at her with an expression Lena could not quite understand. “And you’re telling me, Miss Luthor, you’re only intrigued by this woman from a _scientific_ perspective? _Just_ trying to figure out some sort of secret about her?” She asked slowly and cautiously, like she were treading dangerous waters.

Of course, Lena just gave her an odd look and said, “Yes. I believe there’s something more to her and I’ve made it a goal of mine to figure out what that is.”

“I see,” Jess said, and something in her tone made it clear she was not convinced. “Are you positive there’s actually something secret about her?”

“Positive.” Lena said with confidence. There was something, she knew it. “I’m not sure what I’m looking for exactly, but it’s there, Jess.”

Jess took this in. She seemed like she had more thoughts on Kara Danvers and Lena, but instead of speaking on it she stood up, and looked at Lena regretfully, “I have to go. I could only stop by for a moment.”

Lena could not help the sense of sadness that ate at her heart. Still, she stood up as well, and rounded her desk. “You’re a busy woman,” She commented with a smile, and pulled Jess into a hug before either of them could say another word. Jess hesitated, but hugged Lena back quickly. “We all miss you at L-Corp, Jess. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“Thank you, Miss Luthor. For everything,” Jess said, and after a moment they both pulled away and for what was probably the first time, Jess smiled at Lena. Not her usual close-lipped smile, but a real one. The first Lena had ever seen from her.

“I’ll see you soon,” Lena promised, and said, “I’d say Kara could help you to the exit but I think you know your way around this building better than anybody.”

“Bye, Miss Luthor,” With that said, Jess turned and left Lena’s office. Lena was honestly left feeling both satisfied, and nostalgic. She truly had missed Jess. It was odd not having her around L-Corp every day.

Not long after Jess had gone, Lena left her office. “Kara,” She called into Kara’s office, seeing her assistant with her head down, reading something on her laptop. Kara sat straight up like she was shocked, her eyes wide. “Come with me, please.”

Kara, in all her bumbling glory, stood up so abruptly her chair nearly flung into the wall. She did not even stop to look at it, like she had not even noticed, and instead just came to join Lena at the elevator. “What’re we doing?” She asked.

“Going to my lab,” Lena explained simply, and the doors to the elevator closed with a thud. She pressed the button she needed, and forced herself to be okay with the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach as the elevator moved.

“Jess doesn’t like me very much, huh?” Kara inquired with a short laugh, her hand running through the back of her hair.  
The question surprised Lena. “She’s... She was definitely not fond of you as my choice,” Lena told Kara, “She thought I was making a poor decision. I’ve been pleasantly proven right in my decision, though.”

That added comment at the end made Kara look at Lena suddenly, a bright smile on her. Which, immediately made Lena glad she had said those words.

“Jess is a very prideful, careful woman,” Lena went on, explaining, “She doesn’t trust very easily, especially with someone in the job she once held. I wouldn’t take it personally, I believe she would be a bit... Off-putting to anybody in your position.” Lena set her thumb on the scanner, and then her face was scanned. “You’re just more on her radar than any of the others who applied for the job, though.”

As she and Kara walked into her dimly lit lab, Kara had a look of thoughtfulness. “How come she stopped working for you, anyway?” She asked as Lena immediately found her way to a stack of papers on one counter. “I remember her saying something like, ‘I wouldn’t be leaving if I didn’t have to’.”

Lena thoughtlessly flopped through the papers, her mind stuck on Kara rather than them. “She’s so dramatic,” Lena scoffed at Kara’s reiteration of words Jess had spoken, “It wasn’t at all bad, trust me. And, technically, she still works for me. Jess is a very smart woman, I always knew she had potential... Long story short, Jess works at the Luthor Children Hospital, now. It took a lot of arguing but I fully paid for her education and convinced her she has much better things to do with her life. She was my assistant for long enough.”

”That’s... Really sweet of you,” Kara said, honesty evident in her voice as she gazed at Lena with those awestruck eyes. “You know something, Lena?”

Lena looked at her. Her eyebrow quirked up, prompting her assistant to continue.

“All the articles, all the people that say Lena Luthor is a villain and a terrible person,” Kara began, fixing those glasses on her nose and shifting on her feet, “they’re so wrong. The woman I’ve met has been nothing but kind, and smart, and caring, and beau— hardworking. I don’t think there’s a person who’s less of a threat to the world than you.” With that spilled out into the dim room, Kara suddenly looked like she had not meant to say anything. Her stutter came back to her, nerves flying off the rails, and she added, “I-If you don’t mind me saying that, I mean. I just noticed it, I guess. And that just proved it. And it made me think about it. About you. And I just... I’m gonna, uh, stop.”

—

Kara was not the best at thinking through things before talking. So, she definitely just went on a small rant about how much she likes her boss to her boss. She smiled awkwardly at Lena. At least she had caught herself before saying beautiful in her list of the woman’s qualities. That detail was totally irrelevant and Kara did not ever think about that detail. Ever. “In less words, I meant to say that everyone acts like you’re evil but I’ve only seen you be everything but that.”

To Kara’s relief, Lena smiled in that radiant, beautiful—Okay, maybe Kara did think about that detail-way that she did sometimes. That relief of hers faded with Lena’s next sentence.

“Well, Kara,” Lena said with a sly grin, and she set down her papers so she could stare at Kara and only Kara. “You’re rather _beau_ — I mean, hardworking, yourself.”

Nervous laughter flowed through Kara. Lena had noticed, wonderful.

“In all seriousness,” Lena said, going back to her papers. She grabbed one and drew her finger down it in a line as she red. “Thank you. That’s… Nice to hear.” Her voice was quieter than it had been when she was teasing Kara, and she looked like she was making an effort to keep her eyes down.

“It’s only the truth,” Kara assured her, and strangely enough, she wanted to keep telling Lena all the good things she had noticed about her, if only so she could keep getting that soft smile and seeing the hope in Lena’s eyes. Kara chalked that feeling down to the fact she was quite literally a hero— Of course, she wanted to provide Lena happiness the same she wanted to help anybody. But, she had heard Jess and Lena’s conversation (perhaps she may have just happened to take off her glasses to clean them so she could hear the conversation better) and she had heard what Jess said. Her comment about how she had never seen Lena smile like that. Kara had, and she wanted to keep seeing it.

“Polyatomic ions,” Lena said suddenly.

She did not have to say a single word other than that. Kara had become used to this game. Lena would ask her a question, she would answer, and Lena would give her that sharp gaze of hers. “Simply speaking… It’s an ion that has more than one atom. The opposite of monatomic ions.” She smiled widely, “Is that right?”

Right on cue, Lena gave her that stare. “Right,” Lena drawled, satisfied, “Simply speaking. And, what are the Fire Falls?”

“The Fire Falls were on Kryp—“ Kara stopped herself. “I mean, I don’t know. I guess something, uh, with fire.” Maybe Kara should not let herself be used to Lena’s questions if she was going to shoot her random questions that Lena herself should not even know. “Do you know what they are?”

Despite Kara’s answer, Lena still looked like she was winning at something. “It was on Krypton. Superman and Supergirl’s home planet,” She said easily, pulling beakers from a drawer. She grabbed a pair of gloves and pulled them over her hands. “Like water falls, but with fire. Notably dangerous. My brother had so much information about Krypton, and I always found that particular thing to be very interesting. Shame you didn’t know about it, hm?”

“Well, now I do, right?” Kara tried to sound normal.

“Right,” Lena answered, her voice making it clear she was getting farther with whatever she hoped to achieve.

 

* * *

 

“Kara,” Lena’s voice called out, plead in her tone.

Kara was surprised. Lena hadn’t even paged her. She just called out, not very loudly, from her office like she expected Kara would be able to hear her from the other room. Which, she did, so she supposed it was fine. Odd, but fine.  
As per Lena’s request, Kara stood from where she had been sitting looking out the window and headed for Lena’s office. Even though Lena had called for her, she gave a knock, just to warn her, before she walked inside. “Yes, Lena?” She asked, and got somewhat concerned as she saw the CEO.

There were papers strewn about Lena’s normally tidy desk, and Lena was sitting there with her face in her hands. She took a long deep breath before she dropped her hands and waved Kara to come closer. Kara did, walking forward until she was right in front of Lena.

“Is everything okay?” Kara asked. Lena’s eyes were tired.

  
Lena took a drink from the cup on her desk, filled with scotch, and nodded. “I need you to do two things for me,” She told Kara firmly, and held up two fingers. “I need you to take these papers to the lab on the 7th floor,” She pointed to a pile of papers on one corner of her desk, and Kara noticed she was wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

“Have you gone home at all?” She asked Lena.

  
“No,” Lena said simply. “My prototype I showed you the other week was completely busted and I started to fix it last night. Then, I had to deal with a crisis. Which, leads me to my next thing. I need you to cancel my schedule for the whole day. I have to discuss company matters with a man I really do not want to speak to.”

  
Admittedly, Kara felt guilty about breaking Lena’s device. Especially since Lena had stayed at work to fix it, and, it seemed quite clear the woman had not gotten a minute of sleep. “What was the crisis?” She asked, carefully.

“Not now, please,” Lena shook her head. Her sharp eyes met Kara’s. Watching her closely. Studying her. Kara had grown somewhat accustomed to Lena’s stare, Lena looking at her like a science experiment. She didn’t know what to think of it, but she had grown to almost expect it like she had grown used to Lena’s questions. “Just go do what I asked. Thank you.”

  
“Of course,” Kara respected Lena’s privacy, knew it wasn’t her place to pry, and lifted the stack of papers from her desk, “will do, boss.”

  
She was satisfied to see Lena’s smile. Her real smile she didn’t seem to ever want to have but it showed up anyway. Taking this as a good sign, Kara left Lena’s office and went for the elevator.

  
“Supergirl,” Alex’s voice came through her comm and she spoke in a way that was hard, and cold. “You need to come to the DEO, now.”

  
The coldness in Alex’s voice is what worried her. “Okay,” She answered back while she stepped into the elevator. She hit the button for the 7th floor. She would go to Alex as soon as she gave Lena’s papers to the scientists on the 7th floor.

  
Kara walked as quickly as she possibly could to the lab. She practically bust through the door, startling a woman wearing a white coat, but she handed the papers to the startled woman. “These are from Miss Luthor,” She explained, and with that said, she darted out and went for the nearest bathroom.

Kara ripped open the front of her shirt, rather thankful for snaps instead of regular buttons, and tore her glasses off of her face. She got off her pants and shoes, piled her clothes up as neatly as she could in little time, set her glasses on top, and set them down.

Supergirl flew out from one of the many windows of L-Corp, flying so fast that to any onlookers all they would see is a red and blue blur. It took her only five minutes to fly to the DEO, her worry growing with every one of those minutes, and she did not even land until she had flown into the middle of the DEO.

  
The agents dressed in black stared at her, talking to each other lowly like they still had not gotten used to being in the same room as a superpowered alien. Or, at least, they had not gotten used to having an alien in the room who was on their side and not trying to murder them. “Where’s Alex?” Supergirl demanded to anybody who would answer.

  
On cue, Alex walked briskly into the center of the DEO with her arms crossed and a look of anger on her face. Which, was not a great start to this conversation. “Would you like to explain to us why the Alien Refugee Shelter was bombed at 2 A.M.?”

  
This news was horrific. But Supergirl immediately shot back, “Why are you asking me, Agent Danvers?”

  
“And would you like to explain why the explosives used were the same ones used by Lex Luthor?” Alex continued, the coldness in her voice growing as she spoke louder. “Mass-produced by LuthorCorp not two years ago?”

  
Lex Luthor. Bombs made my LuthorCorp and used by Lex Luthor. The realization of what Alex was saying dawned on her and Supergirl got mad. “Are you seriously blaming Lena?” She shot back, walking towards Alex with her hands curled into fists.

“Oh, so you’re on a first name basis with her now?” Alex retorted, her anger only escalating with that. Alex was honest to Rao blaming Lena for bombing an alien refugee shelter just because of her last name. Supergirl loved her sister, but she was crossing a line.

  
“You wouldn’t be blaming her if her last name was Smith, Alex!” Supergirl exclaimed, accidentally forgetting that her sister was Agent Danvers here, Agent Danvers to Supergirl, not Alex.

“But, guess what, K—Supergirl? Her last name is Luthor, and in case you forgot, her brother is in the highest security prison in the world because he tried to murder your cousin and murdered countless others.” Alex pointed at the many monitors further in the building and yelled, “Bring up images of the shelter, agent, now.”

  
Supergirl pursed her lips and stared over at the monitors as some poor agent pulled up the images. Her breath caught as she saw them. The building was completely destroyed, not one part of it standing. Ash covered the debris and the whole area around it seemed darker.

“14 deceased and 6 injured, half of which are in critical condition.” Alex told her, voice full of hate and rage, “From a bomb made by and used by Lex Luthor. And I’ll have you know that a warrant for your friend’s arrest is being issued as we speak.”

  
“She was working all night, Alex—“

“Did you see her working all night?”

“No…”

“Then, tell me, how do you know she didn’t leave that ivory tower of hers to go murder a bunch of innocent aliens?”

Supergirl turned on her heel and flew out of the DEO, ignoring Alex yelling after her. She couldn’t breathe very well as she flew towards L-Corp. She knew people hated aliens but to think somebody would do that... And to think that Alex was convinced Lena would do that.

Lena, with her optimistic eyes and sincere smile.

Before Supergirl could even think about the fact she had never met Lena as Supergirl, she was on Lena’s balcony, walking through the door to her office like she owned the place. Lena stood up from her desk, eyes going wide.

Stunned, Lena asked, “Supergirl?” She looked some mix of awed and scared. Supergirl supposed having a random superhero come barging into your office when you have had no sleep is a little frightening.

  
It took Supergirl a minute to force herself to calm down. “Miss Luthor,” She greeted, putting her fists on her hips in her superhero pose. She hoped it would fuel her with the confidence she needed right then. It seemed to work a little. “I need to talk to you.”

  
Lena seemed to gather herself together enough to say something snarky back to the hero. “You know, that’s not really an entrance,” She said, but she was smiling with that sincerity of hers and Supergirl could not believe Alex truly thought this woman was capable of that crime.

Supergirl stepped close, slowly though, and set her hand firmly on Lena’s shoulder. “Miss Luthor,” She repeated, gently. “You might be in trouble and I need you to tell me everything you can so I can help you.”

Lena’s smile fell, and she looked at the Kryptonian with a look of confusion.

“There is a warrant being issued for your arrest right now,” Supergirl said and saw the fear rise on Lena’s face. There was no way it was her. “Authorities believe that you were responsible for the murder and attempted murder of many aliens last night. A bombing on an alien refugee shelter, with bombs made by LuthorCorp in the past. I need you to tell me everything you can.”

Lena asked, “How many are dead?” Her voice was shaky, so slightly so that Supergirl barely noticed, but it was.

“14 dead, 6 injured,” Supergirl repeated what she heard from Alex, and she felt her stomach sink at the though.

Her eyes. Lena’s eyes. She did not murder those aliens. Lena had forced her face into one of calmness, but her eyes gave her away, and Supergirl could see her heart through her eyes as much as she could hear Lena’s heartbeat. She had nothing to do with it, she was innocent. She was as horrified as Supergirl was.

But while that was enough for Supergirl, that would not be enough for Alex, the DEO, the police, it would not be enough for a single person in the world.

Lena’s eyes had drifted to her lap, focusing on that rather than the person in front of her. Her expression was one of guilt, but not one meaning she was guilty for causing it. It was guilt for being related to a man who dedicated his life to murder. Guilt for being the first person on everyone’s mind when aliens were murdered.

“Miss Luthor,” Supergirl found herself kneeling down on the hard floor of Lena’s office, forcing Lena to meet her eyes. “I know you didn’t do it. That’s why I’m here.”

“You, Supergirl,” Lena said with an almost accusatory tone, “believe that a Luthor didn’t murder all those aliens.” She did not believe that for a second, it was clear. Supergirl couldn’t blame her for not believing that, if she were being truthful.

“I believe that you, Lena Luthor, aren’t capable of murdering all those aliens,” Supergirl told her firmly, staring into her eyes. “I’m a good judge of character.”

Some sort of recognition flashed across Lena’s face. And, for whatever reason, it made Lena’s guard go down in the slightest manner. “So, they’re going to arrest me?” She questioned, balling her hands into fists on her lap.

“Do you have an alibi for last night? Around 2 A.M.?” Supergirl asked. She needed one. Something. Anything.

“I was working alone from a few hours before then until now,” Lena mumbled, and Supergirl momentarily felt hopeless. “I’m… Sorry. But, I have security cameras covering nearly every inch of this building. And, I can assure you I never left this building.”

Security cameras. That was something. Supergirl could use that. “I need the footage from last night,” She demanded, and Lena nodded.

  
She turned away from Supergirl, grabbing her laptop and typing her password into it. A moment later, a screen of different camera’s footage popped up. There really were cameras all over. Supergirl could see the empty top floor in the hallway outside of Lena’s office, some of the laboratories, the cafe, the coffee stand outside—

“That one.” Supergirl pointed at the footage of the entrance. If Lena had left, it would be through those doors. The cameras would have caught it. “Go through that one.”

Lena clicked, and typed something, before the entrance footage popped up full-screen and Lena rewinded to that night. She pressed play from midnight and upped the speed.

1 A.M. and the only people who had left the building were a few men in suits.

2 A.M. and there was nothing.

3 A.M. and there was nothing.

There was nothing after that, until 6 A.M. when employees started coming in for the day. And, given Lena was here now, she would have had to come in at some point. But Lena never left. Supergirl breathed a sigh of relief, and stood upright.

“Thank you,” She looked at Lena with nothing but hope and sincerity. “It’s not a lot, but it’s a start. I’m going to make sure you get out of this, don’t worry.”

Lena tore her eyes away from the camera footage and looked at Supergirl hesitantly. “You really believe that I didn’t do it?” She asked, her hands gripped into fists so tightly that Supergirl had an odd urge to hold them before Lena’s fingernails drew blood from her palms. “A Super honestly trusts that a Luthor didn’t do it?”

For a moment, Supergirl thought. Not about whether or not she believed Lena, because that answer was simple, but about how she should respond in a way that Lena would believe her. Satisfied with her thoughts, she spoke, offering a smile. “I’m judging you based on your own merits, not based on the belief that a Luthor and a Super are automatically enemies. Perhaps, you should judge me on my own merits, too.”

She had chosen wisely, it seemed, because Lena’s hard expression relaxed. She seemed taken aback by Supergirl’s words, and she met her gaze. “You’re… Right. I’m sorry, Supergirl.”

That was good. That was a step forward. “Now, what were you doing last night?”

Lena took the glass of scotch from her desk— which, Supergirl noticed, she had definitely refilled since Kara had left—and took a long drink from it. She set it down with a _clink_ and took a deep breath. “I was in my lab for a few hours. I was working on a…” She trailed, and it looked like she realized something.

 _The alien detection device_ , Supergirl realized that was why Lena seemed hesitant. That device did not make her seem innocent, by any means. So, Supergirl just gave a reassuring smile and said, “Working on a project. What then?”

Lena gave her a look of silent thanks before she continued. “I got alerted of someone trying to take over my company. I’ve been in here since 11 P.M. doing paperwork and writing emails.”

“Can you pull up your email, please?” Supergirl asked her, turning her attention back to Lena’s laptop.

“Sure,” Lena gave a brief nod and went back to her computer. She closed the screen with the countless camera feeds and opened up the email application. She angled her laptop towards the superhero, and said, “Here.”

Supergirl pulled the laptop forward so she could look at the time stamps.

A large number of emails started at 11:09 P.M., which fit Lena’s claim. There were about two or three emails every hour, except for 1 A.M. in which there was a long thread of emails, a conversation between Lena and an associate. Supergirl figured that the time stamps, with the security footage, had to be a good start to proving Lena was at L-Corp working all night.

“I think that—“ Supergirl stopped. The elevator dinged in the hallway, she could hear it. She squinted, using her x-ray vision, and sure enough, Alex and a group of men donned in black were in the hall.

The doors to Lena’s office opened roughly and loudly, which drew Lena’s attention up and away from the hero next to her. “Crap,” Supergirl muttered quietly, and she stood up from where she had kneeled next to Lena. “Agent Danvers.” She greeted, crossing her arms across her chest and making no attempt to move away from Lena.

“Supergirl,” Alex responded just as coldly before she turned her attention to Lena. “Lena Luthor, I’m Agent Danvers, with the FBI.” She pulled out her fake FBI badge and held it up as she approached Lena’s desk just a bit further. Lena stared at the badge calmly, before she looked at Alex. “We have a warrant for your arrest, for the murder and attempted murder of 20 aliens at the Alien Refugee Center last night.”

“She _didn’t_ do it,” Supergirl interrupted before Alex could continue on the spiel she was required to go on during an arrest. Alex looked at her with a hard expression. “I know you think she did, but she was here all night.”

“And on what grounds do you say this?” Alex asked in irritation, very clearly angry with her sister. “Tell me that, Supergirl.”

“There are security cameras at the entrance,” Supergirl pointed at Lena’s now shut laptop, “She never once left. There’s no footage of her leaving, or her coming back. She was here, working.”

“Did you check other places in the building where she could have left? Like the rooftop, with a chopper? Or maybe there are entrances you don’t even know about. This building was made by, need I remind you, Lex Luthor,” Alex argued calmly, “Or, maybe she didn’t do it herself. Maybe she sent someone to plant the bomb for her. Did you think about that, Supergirl?”

Supergirl felt lost all of a sudden. “Her— Her laptop, there’s time stamps, she was working last night—Documents, emails—“

“Which, she could have anybody log onto her laptop to do.” Alex retorted. “And, it’s not hard to change time stamps. Even you could do it.”

“Agent Danvers,” Supergirl held her hands out, as a sign for them to calm down. “Please, just investigate more. Lena Luthor did not hurt anybody.”

“She hasn’t slept, you can tell,” Alex noted, gaze locked onto Lena. “She has no alibi. She has the sources to get weapons, such as bombs. The bombs were made by this very company. We have a store’s security video of her at 1:30 A.M. not two blocks from the scene. And,” Her glare switched to Supergirl, making clear eye contact as she said firmly, “She’s a Luthor.”

They had a video of Lena last night. That fact hit Supergirl like a train, it hit her with the amount of fear she had when she had first been exposed to kryptonite.

Alex was not going to relent. Alex was going to arrest Lena, they were going to put her in those extra-strong DEO issued handcuffs, and those armed agents were going to put a bag over her head and take her and throw her in a cell in the DEO. Despite the fact Supergirl knew Lena did not hurt anybody, despite the fact Supergirl knew Lena did not even attempt to hurt anybody, she was going to be arrested and the world was going to despise her even more, all because of her last name.

Supergirl felt trapped.

Her sister was feet away, her hand raised as she signaled for her men to arrest Lena.

Lena was beside her, still seated, that coldly calm expression on her face. But, despite her cool demeanor, her hands were clenched into fists under her desk, her heart was beating far too quickly, and the _thud thud thud_ of it was loud in Supergirl’s ears.

Without giving it any thought, before she even knew what she was doing, Supergirl was sliding her arms under Lena. She lifted her as easily as a human could lift a piece of paper, holding her bridal style in her arms, and neither Lena nor the DEO agents could even react before Supergirl was flying out of the glass door, off of Lena’s balcony, into the cold sky.

“Kara!” Alex yelled, and Supergirl was already far enough away by the time Alex said it, it was faint. Lena could not have heard it. She did, though, and she knew she was going to be in more trouble than she ever had been with the DEO, the government.

That was when the severity of her reaction hit her. She had not thought it out, at all. She had just grabbed Lena and literally flew away from government agents who had a warrant for her arrest.  
But her gaze fell to Lena and she could not dwell on that. Lena did not deserve to sit in a high-tech prison cell like her brother, she did not deserve to have agents treat her like she was the scum of the earth while taking her, she did not deserve to be looked at behind bars like a monster.

Lena’s eyes were wide, her loose dark hair flipping over her face. “Supergirl—“ Lena choked out, words catching in her throat as she saw the sky below them. As she realized that she was high up, as high as an airplane could fly, being flown across the city in the arms of some superhero who had just grabbed her out of her office. Lena’s heartbeat sped up that much more, and she promptly grabbed onto Supergirl for dear life and turned her head into Supergirl’s chest. Her face was buried in the symbol of the House Of El to block her view of the doom that lay below them.

“I won’t drop you,” Supergirl assured her immediately, instinctively holding the woman tighter. A part of her hoped it would calm Lena down while she figured out what she was actually doing. _Where am I even going?_ “I promise, Miss Luthor.”

She could not possibly take Lena to her apartment. Or to Lena’s apartment, for that matter. Of course, Alex would look. Where was she supposed to take her? She had definitely not thought this out at all.

Suddenly, the comm in her ear went off with a shouting Alex Danvers. “Kara, do you realize what you’re doing?!” She yelled, the sound hurting Supergirl’s ears, “If you don’t bring her to the DEO right now, you are going to—“

Supergirl let go of Lena just enough to rip the comm out of her ear. It crushed in her hand, accidentally, but Supergirl did not really have time to think about that. She also did not have time to think about the fact that made it even worse.

Lena’s heartbeat spiked again in the split second Supergirl was not firmly holding her, and Lena held her tighter. “Sorry,” Supergirl said sincerely, before fixing her hold on Lena.

There were not many things she could do now. In fact, Supergirl had no idea what to do from here.

Chewing on her bottom lip insistently, Supergirl turned sharply right and upped her speed. Out of the city. That was best for right this second. Once she had this terrified woman on the ground and she was out of the way of the DEO, she could make a plan. She could help, after Lena was safe.

A small ways out of the city, there was just nature. Rather than skyscrapers and cars, there were mountains and trees and grass. Supergirl touched down on a random spacious cliff overlooking a grassy area since she figured the DEO could not very easily find them up there. Lena was still clinging to Supergirl even after Supergirl landed, and the wind stopped rushing past the two of them in a tight chill.

“Miss Luthor,” Supergirl said cautiously, gently, “we’re on the ground.”

Slowly, Lena moved her face from Supergirl’s chest, setting her hand over the House of El symbol instead as she looked around them. Supergirl listened as her heartbeat started to slow from it’s fearful, rapid hammering.

Supergirl set Lena down, but the second Lena’s went to walk a step she stumbled and Supergirl caught her. “I, uh, take it you’re not very used to flying?” Supergirl said with a shy grin, completely forgetting her superhero confidence.

“No,” Lena said with a heavy breath as she let Supergirl hold her up, “I’m not particularly used to superheroes grabbing me from my office and flying me to— somewhere.” She did not sound exactly happy, but she also did not sound angry, so Supergirl hoped that was a good sign. “I’m… Somewhat scared of heights.” She murmured, and Supergirl felt guilty.

“Uh, here,” Supergirl took hold of Lena’s hand and set it on her own shoulder, letting Lena hold on to her for support so she had free hands. Lena looked at her skeptically, practically clinging to Supergirl’s bicep, as Supergirl messed with her cape. With a few fumbles, Supergirl detached her cape from her uniform and laid it down on the wet grass around them. “Sit,” She offered, already taking gentle hold of Lena and sitting down with her.

“Kidnap me and then lay your cape down for me to sit,” Lena murmured, her eyes shut. “Do your people all have such odd ways of treating a woman or is it just you?” Her voice was dry as she said it, but Supergirl knew she was kidding for the most part.

“Just me, probably,” Supergirl shrugged and offered a smile. Her smile fell, then, and she stared down at her red cape underneath them. She felt strangely exposed without it. “I’m sorry for that, Miss Luthor. I didn’t know what to do.”  
The apology must have taken Lena by surprise. But, still, Lena offered a short laugh and brushed it off, “Thank you for the apology, but you were trying to help me, as odd as your methods were. So, thank you.”

“I am trying to help,” Supergirl assured her.

“Why?” Lena questioned without a beat. Supergirl looked at her, and she was staring with that piercing, somewhat terrifying gaze that she regularly gave Kara Danvers when she was trying to figure her out. “Those people weren’t even just cops, those were government agents. Why would Supergirl go against a group of government agents to help a Luthor?”

“I did it to help you,” Supergirl said simply, “Not a Luthor. I mean, you’re more than just a Luthor like everybody says, right?”

“I don’t know,” Lena said slowly, her piercing gaze falling to something Supergirl could not quite understand.  
“Well, I do know,” Supergirl shrugged. “And, um, I think that whole arrest attempt might be more personal than it is professional.”

This piqued Lena’s interest. She shifted where she sat, so that she was angled more towards the superhero, and her head was tilted ever so slightly to the side. One of her perfect eyebrows was quirked up. “What do you mean?”

“Um, your assistant,” Supergirl said dumbly before she forced all of her confidence into herself at once. “Your assistant, Kara Danvers, is related to Agent Danvers. They’re sisters.”

“And, I suppose what you mean is that my assistant’s sister isn’t so fond of me?” Lena asked, putting the pieces together in that clever mind of hers. She sighed in exasperation. “Hopefully she hasn’t given Kara too much trouble. Kara’s such a sweet woman, Supergirl.”

Lena thought Kara was sweet. Supergirl nearly faltered at her attempt to keep her cool, but she cleared her throat and said, “I’m sure it’s fine. Anyway, I just... Couldn’t rightfully stand there and let them take you when I know you’re innocent.” It would not have been right. And, she would be lying if she claimed she did not have a bit of a bias towards Lena considering she ended up flying away with her. “I’m going to prove you’re innocent, Miss Luthor, I just need a little time.”

“Supergirl,” Lena said after a moment of thought. “You’re everything the news makes you out to be.” Her voice was quiet, gentle, and full of surprise. “Better, actually.”

“You’re everything except for what the news makes you out to be,” Supergirl retorted with a goofy smile, and it drew a smile from Lena. The smile she gave Kara. She looked at the hero like she could not possibly care that she was a wanted woman at that moment.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to get out of this,” Lena said blankly, staring straight ahead rather than at Supergirl. Supergirl was taken somewhat by surprise by Lena’s sudden change in tone. “The whole world is convinced I’m like Lex. And, it seems like, no matter what I do, that’s how they see me.”

Before Supergirl could utter a response, Lena spoke up again, her voice somewhat sad, “Supergirl, do you know much about my brother?”

Hesitant, Supergirl thought about the question. “Just... That he’s the world’s most notorious alien hater, and he tried to kill Superman.” She felt sort of guilty at saying that, even though it was the truth and Lena knew it as well.

“The bad thing is,” Lena mumbled quietly, her eyes sliding shut as a strong gust of wind came to them. Her hands shook ever so slightly at the wind, and without much thought, Supergirl found herself wrapping her arm around Lena’s shoulders and scooting closer so that Lena was pressed against her side. Lena’s heart picked up for a split second, but she actually relaxed into Supergirl’s side, pushing closer to her. “Lex was the last person I could’ve imagined doing a thing like what he’s done. He had a brilliant mind, that he could use for so much, and he was clever and witty. He loved chess and he could play the piano, not as good as me, but he was still good. He,” Lena had a soft, sad smile, “would sneak with me into the kitchens at night and we would make cookies. My Mother caught us once and, oh, she was furious. But my brother and I still snuck down that very night and did the same thing.”

“My Mother, really, I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw her being dragged to prison,” Lena admitted with a sour tone, “but my brother? I hadn’t seen it coming. I had noticed he was getting tiresome, paranoid, but I never would have imagined... And, now, I can’t go a day without hearing about the man he turned out to be, simply because I once trusted him and I once—No, I still love him, means that I must be exactly like him. And, I think what scares me, is that he was so normal. I didn’t think he was bad. But, my friends Jess and Sam and Kara, they might not think I’m bad, but what if I just suddenly change like him?”

Lena sighed deeply, and rubbed her eyes with her palm. “I don’t know why I’m talking so much. It’s been a long day, I suppose. I haven’t gotten any sleep—actually, because I had to deal with Morgan Edge trying to buyout my company, his mantra seeming to be that I’m a Luthor and a woman and the company would be better with him, as these men always believe—and now here we are.”

That was a lot for Supergirl to take in. Lena loved Lex Luthor. She had looked up to him, he had cared for her. The story was strange, to Supergirl. It was foreign, to hear somebody talk about the infamous, cruel Lex Luthor like he was just a normal kid getting into trouble with his little sister. Lex Luthor was a bad person, everyone knew that. But, she had not really thought about what he could have been like before. She also felt a twinge of sadness at the reason Lena had stayed at L-Corp all night. She—Kara—definitely was going to have some angry emails to make to this Morgan Edge.

“Miss Luthor, I don’t think you’re a bad person for loving Lex Luthor,” Supergirl admitted quietly, her eyes locked onto the woman pressed against her. “I think there’s a difference between what he’s done and what he used to be. You love your brother, not the man he became.”

“You’re odd, Supergirl,” Lena mumbled under her breath in good nature. “You really don’t have anything against me, do you?”

“My parents, I thought they were perfect,” Supergirl did not know why she decided to share, but something about Lena made her want to. “I found out recently that they weren’t great people. They did some bad things. But, I still love them, because my Mom who brushed my hair and sang me songs wasn’t the same woman who locked innocent people in prison. I know she did it, but that’s not who I knew.”

For a beat, there was just silence as Lena took this in. “I think hearing a superhero talk about family life is as strange as hearing someone talk about Lex Luthor being normal,” Lena said somewhat jokingly. “So, the Girl of Steel’s parents weren’t as righteous as her? The Girl Scout gene doesn’t run in the family?”

Supergirl smiled. “I suppose not. But, Girl Scout?”

“Superman is an overgrown Boy Scout in tights,” Lena said simply like it were a known fact you could google and find immediately. “You’ve only proved yourself to be about the same.”

“Okay,” Supergirl genuinely laughed at this observation. “If you want to believe that, Miss Luthor, be my guest.” Then, lowering her tone as Lena yawned, she offered, “You can sleep. I’ll stay. We can figure everything out when you’re not running off of zero sleep, scotch, and four and a half cups of coffee.”

“Four and a half?” Lena seemed curious. “Been spying on me, Supergirl?”

“Uh—“ Supergirl realized her mistake and attempted to save herself. “It’s, uh, one of my powers. Yep.” Smooth, Supergirl, she thought to herself. She was the stupidest superhero alive.

Lena hummed in response. To Supergirl’s utter relief, she seemed to be too drained to care about the slip-up. “I don’t know about sleeping,” Her eyes shut as she let herself fully relax into the hero’s hold, and she said, “Did you know, Supergirl, you might pass as a human very well, but you’re warmer than any human being. It’s very much inhuman.”  
Supergirl was not quite sure how to respond to that comment, but she could hear Lena’s breathing and heartbeat slow, and she knew Lena was asleep. She had gotten heavier on Supergirl, not conscious so she could not hold herself up.

“Night, Lena,” Supergirl said, as Kara more than Supergirl.

She listened to Lena’s steady heartbeat as she stared at the empty sky ahead of them. There had to be something, some kind of slip in this crime that proved Lena was innocent. That proved someone was trying to make it seem like Lena did it. That video…

Supergirl might have had an idea.

 

* * *

 

Only a few hours after Lena had fallen asleep, when it was now dark, she started to stir. Supergirl was taken a bit by surprise at the sudden movement as Lena shifted against her, her head turning into Supergirl’s chest more. Supergirl had tuned into Lena’s calm heartbeat so much she had found herself far more relaxed after the day they had, and now Lena’s heart was picking up the slightest bit as she awoke.

“Sleep well, Miss Luthor?” Supergirl asked quietly.

Lena groaned, her eyebrows furrowed, before she opened her eyes and seemed to realize where she was. Out of the corner of her eye, her gaze locked on the House of El symbol where her head lay. “Supergirl,” She said just as quietly, and she found Supergirl’s hand where it rested over her shoulder. She set her own hand on Supergirl’s, a sign of thanks, and she said, “I’m sorry for falling asleep on you.”

“No need to apologize,” Supergirl assured, and she was unable to help her smile. She felt somewhat frozen in that spot now that Lena’s hand was atop of hers. “If we’re going to prove you’re innocent, you need to be at your best.”

A heavy sigh came from Lena. “Maybe a part of me hoped that whole thing had been a dream,” She admitted, “this is not a very good situation. I’m sure the city is going to be ready with pitchforks for me.”

“It’s not the best situation,” Supergirl agreed sadly. But, she brightened, and she said, “I think I might have a plan, though.”

Lena leaned up, so she was no longer resting her full weight on the superhero, no longer in-between Supergirl’s side and arm. She stared at Supergirl, and insisted, “What is it?”

Supergirl could hear the hope in Lena’s voice. It was slight, wavering, but it was there. It was enough to make Supergirl feel hopeful, as well. She grinned, and she stood up. She held her hand down to Lena, offering to help her up. Lena took her hand, slowly, and Supergirl hoisted her to her feet, not sure how Lena could handle those high heels. “I know a guy who’s super good with technology.” She informed before she gave the bad part of the plan. “…He also works for the government agency that’s trying to arrest you.”

Lena’s eyebrow quirked up, clearly skeptical of the hero’s plans. “So, making him choose loyalty between the American Government and a Superhero who could quite literally tear him in half. Wonderful.”

“Anyway,” Supergirl said quickly, ignoring the sarcastic comment. “He’s my friend, we’re really close, and I think he’ll help us. I think he can use the video they have to prove you’re innocent. It had to be someone framing you.” He could do it. Supergirl was sure he could, and she was sure he would help them, even if it meant they would both be on Alex’s bad side for a while.

As she thought about this, Lena leaned down and picked up the red cape laying on the grass. She held it out for Supergirl, who took it with a silent thanks. “I suppose we may as well try,” Lena agreed with a nod while Supergirl was shaking her cape to get grass off of it. When Supergirl looked up, she saw Lena was smiling at the hero’s attempts.

If her smile was so infectious to Lena, Lena’s was infectious to her, and it seemed to just be a loop.

“That’s the spirit,” Supergirl assured her. She began to fasten her cape back to her suit. “We’re gonna do this, Miss Luthor, don’t worry.” With her cape back, she felt much less vulnerable than she had without it. The feeling was odd, but she felt much more Supergirl than Kara Danvers with it— and it felt like she was having a hard time keeping Kara Danvers away around Lena.

Lena turned her head and looked out at the sky. Her heartbeat spiked, and she crossed her arms tightly across her chest. “I suppose we’re going to have to fly again?” She asked, despite knowing the answer. “Did I tell you I’m somewhat scared of heights?”

“Yeah,” Supergirl told her and set her hand on Lena’s shoulder. “But, hey, I’m not going to let you fall. Just keep your eyes closed and the next thing you know we’ll be on solid ground.” She never would have guessed that Lena was scared of heights. She supposed Lena was just so powerful and strong that something as simple as heights should not at all be terrifying to her.

It took a moment, but Lena met Supergirl’s eyes and she nodded.

With that permission, Supergirl scooped the woman up, bridal style. Lena snaked her arm around Supergirl’s shoulder, her other hand rested gently on the symbol on her chest. “I know statistically flying is the safest way to travel, but still…” Lena said dryly.

“Don’t worry,” Supergirl comforted before she looked ahead of them and took off. Lena’s heart immediately started pounding, and her grip tightened on Supergirl, burying her face into Supergirl’s shoulder.

As they neared the city, Supergirl flew up higher, hoping to stay above the clouds. She did not need somebody seeing her flying around. She knew Alex had alerts pop up on her phone every single time Supergirl was in the media. Thankfully, it was dark and somewhat cloudly, and her destination was not too far into the city.

The rows of buildings were an odd sight after being on the cliff with Lena, overlooking nature and not a single building in sight. After a minute, she found the correct apartment, a tiny little one in a mixture of dozens of apartments made the exact same way. She dove down to the particular building.

She landed on the tight balcony outside the apartment’s one window, and still holding Lena, she grabbed the sliding glass door and opened it. It had been left unlocked, and a part of Supergirl assumed he knew she would come to him. The thought made Supergirl feel much better about the situation. She shut the door behind them and looked at Lena. “Miss Luthor, we’re not flying now.”

Lena carefully got down from Supergirl’s hold, though she still held onto Supergirl’s bicep, having learned from nearly falling down last time. Her heart was slowing back to normal.

Then, with his perfect timing, her friend came wandering in from the kitchen. He looked at them immediately, but there was absolutely no hint of surprise in his eyes. He just smiled nervously.

“Hi, Winn,” Supergirl greeted with some embarrassment.

“Hey,” He responded simply before he motioned to the kitchen with a jerk of his thumb. “Do you two want some tea?”


	4. Not If, But When

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winn works on clearing Lena's name, Supergirl tries to distract Lena from worrying about it, and Lena kind of has a crush on Supergirl.

“Tea would be great,” Supergirl said, as she tried to hold her smile. Winn was actually the best person in the entire world in that moment, and Supergirl could not have been more lucky to have a friend like him. Winn just gave a simple nod in return, flashed his toothy smile at Lena (Which, Supergirl appreciated beyond anything else), and retreated back to his cramped kitchen.

“Make yourselves at home, ladies,” Winn called out to them as he fumbled around in the kitchen, the sound of cabinet doors being opened and slammed shut echoing him.

Lena, Supergirl had noticed, looked rather uncomfortable. She had wrapped her arms tightly around her waist, and she looked around the area like she was half-expecting someone to jump out at her. In addition, she had also regained that CEO act of hers, with a calm facial expression and an attempt to look like she was standing tall. 

It made sense. Supergirl may have trusted Winn with her life for years, but it was Lena’s life that was at stake, and she had no idea who this man was. She barely even knew Supergirl. With a hint of hesitation, Supergirl set her hand on Lena’s shoulder, which immediately grabbed Lena’s attention. “Let’s sit down, okay, Miss Luthor?”

“Okay,” Lena echoed, her voice still. 

Supergirl took this with gratitude, and unintentionally dropped her hand to take Lena’s as she led the woman in the direction of Winn’s old, worn out couch. She honestly had not even realized what she had done until she noticed Lena’s heartbeat spike like it had been every once in a while. It made her wonder if Lena’s heart spiked like that around Kara Danvers. Her lead-lined glasses made it hard for her to hear something like a heartbeat, and now she had to wonder if she had been missing all these things about Lena that she kept cool on the outside.

Lena sat down on the couch, and despite herself, sunk into it like she was in need of rest for a whole year. Without another thought, Supergirl kneeled down and gently took hold of Lena’s ankle, and she began to take off the uncomfortable high heels.

Though she seemed like she wanted to make herself argue against it, say something Kara Danvers had heard before like _a Luthor woman is raised in heels, they don’t bother me_ — but to Supergirl’s surprise she just took one look at what the hero was doing before her eyes slid shut and she sighed heavily. Supergirl gently slid off Lena’s heels, set them neatly to the side, and sat down next to Lena on the couch.

“Who would have thought Supergirl was such a gentlewoman,” Lena joked with little effort, as she laughed humorously. She rubbed her heels together, and Supergirl could see how the bottoms and sides of her feet were red, a few blisters dotting the sides. 

“High heels are the worst thing in the universe,” Supergirl informed, pointing a finger at the noticeable blisters. Lena followed her gaze as she continued. “Trust me, I’m literally from another planet, and I’m still saying those are the worst things.”

“Your boots go up to your knees in a point,” Lena pointed out in return. “I can’t see how that’s any more comfortable. Especially considering you’re the one spending your days fighting crime. I spend my days sitting, mostly.”

“My feet aren’t all blistered and red from my shoes,” Supergirl countered.

  
“You are an alien who’s skin can’t be penetrated by a _bullet_ ,” Lena said pointedly with a quirk of her eyebrow, her gaze running from Supergirl’s eyes down her body in a way that made Supergirl’s own heartbeat pick up. “So, I don’t think you’re one to talk.” She finished, snapping her eyes back up to meet Supergirl’s.

  
“Touché,” Supergirl gave in, but still, she shrugged and said, “still stand by what I said though.” 

Lena seemed unfazed by it. “I’m a Luthor. High heels are the norm.” There it was. Lena’s comment Supergirl had expected. It took Supergirl a bit of will to not comment on that, since it was Kara Danvers who had heard that before, not Supergirl. Lena seemed to have moved on from the topic of shoes and back to her nervousness, and she asked, “Supergirl, are you sure this man will be able to help?”

  
Supergirl gave Lena a reassuring smile. “If anyone can, it’s him,” She told Lena, truly meaning that. There was not a single person in the world Supergirl trusted more to help them. She understood Lena’s doubt, but _Winn Schott_ was their _one shot._

  
“Tea for the Luthor and Super,” Winn’s charismatic voice called out as he walked into the room, a silver tray balanced on his hand. He lifted the cups one by one, and set one in front of Lena, one in front of Supergirl, and took one for himself. He set the tray down as he sat in the cushy chair diagonal to the couch. He looked between Lena and Supergirl, and leaned back in his seat.

Supergirl lifted her cup of tea, and took a sip immediately. Lena seemed to have taken Supergirl’s quickness as an example, and she picked up her own cup, seemingly with the intent to take a sip as quickly as Supergirl had. Lena brought the cup to her lips, but Supergirl held her hand out and touched Lena’s wrist to halt her. 

“It’s boiling hot,” Supergirl grinned sheepishly, “Be careful, I mean. Not all of us can’t be burned. You’ve got enough on your plate already.” 

  
Lena’s gaze went from where Supergirl was touching her wrist, to her cup, and finally to meet Supergirl’s eyes. To Supergirl’s surprise, Lena’s lips curved up into a tiny smile at the somewhat strange gesture of worry. She lowered the cup from her smile, and cradled it in her hands atop of her lap. “You know how I said you’re inhumanely warm, Supergirl? It’s somewhat like the feeling of this,” Lena nearly whispered, nodding down to the warm cup in her hands as she rubbed her thumb on the smooth side of it.

  
The observation amused Supergirl in a way she could not quite explain. She had been just as surprised by it last night as she was now. She leaned forward slightly, her head tilted, and she said, “I haven’t heard that from anyone before, Miss Luthor.” Alex, Eliza, Jeremiah— None of them had ever said anything about her being inhumanely warm. She had certainly never thought about it.

  
With a short hum, Lena nodded. “It gives you away, Supergirl.” She still had that sly smile on her face, as she rubbed her thumb on the warm outside of the teacup, and Supergirl could not possibly help her own wide smile.

  
Winn coughed, then, and Supergirl realized she had completely forgotten he was there. Eyes going wide, Supergirl sat up straight, away from Lena, and she cleared her throat. Her voice turned back to her superhero tone, projecting and clear, as she said, “Miss Luthor, this is Winn Schott. Winn, this is Lena Luthor, as I’m sure you know.”

His mouth was slightly agape, and his eyebrows were knit together as he stared at the two women in his home who had completely forgotten he existed in each other’s presence. But, he quickly gathered himself together, and grinned widely at Lena. “Nice to meet you, Lena Luthor, despite the circumstances.” 

“Despite the circumstances, Mr. Schott,” Lena agreed with a shrug, her hands tightening around her cup and her thumb ceasing its movement. Supergirl wanted to tell her _it’s okay_ , she had a strange urge that led her to want to hold Lena’s hand, let her feel the apparent foreign warmth Lena seemed to have taken a liking to. 

“And, before you doubt me,” Winn said, and his grin turned into a somewhat nervous smile. He scratched the back of his head with his free hand. “I don’t care very much that you’re related to him.” He didn’t have to clarify, it was clear to both Lena and Supergirl. “I think it’s really awesome what you’re doing at L-Corp, I’m a bit of a science nerd, so I’d like to trust that you didn’t do this whole murder thing.”

Supergirl peered at Lena with her peripheral vision, and she felt satisfied as Lena’s grip slowly loosened on her cup.  
“Plus,” Winn added with a sly wink as he turned his gaze to Supergirl, “if this one believes in you, how can I not?”

“It is rather hard to not trust her,” Lena agreed, her sharp eyes locking into Supergirl. It made no sense, how Supergirl could stare into a dozen loaded guns with no fear, yet she would stare into those eyes and she felt like her stomach was being tied into knots. Not the most unpleasant feeling, strangely enough, but foreign to her. “She quite literally _kidnapped_ me from my office, and yet I can’t make myself see her as untrustworthy.”

That got Winn to laugh, loudly. “I heard about that. Alex was screaming into the comms.” He told the both of them in amusement, and Supergirl felt her stomach drop.

“Speaking of,” Supergirl said carefully, an embarrassed look gracing her features, “I accidentally smashed my earpiece when I was getting Miss Luthor out.”

Winn gaped at her. “How did you—“ He began, but then shook his head and took a careful sip of his tea. “Nevermind, I don’t wanna know. I’ll get you a new one when you’re back in the DEO’s graces.” 

“DEO?” Lena asked as quickly as the word had left Winn’s mouth.

Both Supergirl and Winn looked sharply to Lena, and then met each other’s gaze. Supergirl glared at Winn with an unbelievable expression, and Winn looked like a deer in headlights, completely confused. The DEO was a heavily classified government agency that nobody was supposed to know about, and Winn just went and said the name around the world’s most inquisitive person who noticed every detail of the things around her.

  
A sigh left Supergirl as she decided it didn’t really matter. Considering she trusted Lena enough to steal her away from said government agency, she trusted her enough with the information of who exactly was out for her. “The DEO is the Department of Extranormal Operations,” She informed as she looked at Lena, who immediately had the most intense look of fascination at the new information, which made Supergirl’s heart flutter, “It’s a secret government agency that has to deal with everything related to aliens and extranormal activity. Winn and I both work for them, as well as Agent Danvers and the men who came to your office.”

Lena shifted where she sat so she was angled more towards Supergirl, and she seemingly unconsciously shifted closer as well. “There’s a secret government agency dedicated to aliens?” She asked with more life in her voice than Supergirl had heard from her in a while, “The technology, do they use our own technology against aliens or do they use alien technology? Do they have technology not available or known to the public?”

  
“They have weapons they have made themselves,” Supergirl told her, and the excited look in Lena’s eyes made her keep going, “using information they have gotten from alien activity. They’ve even found a way to make red sun grenades. I’m not too happy about that, but from a scientific perspective... Anyway, they have a lot of tech, human and alien alike, and have made new technology using both.”

“Your suit,” Lena asked after she took in that information, and she grazed her fingertips along a part of Supergirl’s red cape, “Did they make your suit? I’ve always wondered how your cape withstands even bullets.” 

“Actually, I made her suit,” Winn announced cockily, and gained Lena’s attention. She looked intrigued with him, now, though she kept one hand on the hero’s cape, feeling the fabric like she was trying to figure it out on her own. “I designed it, made all the little tweaks, slapped the famous symbol on the chest. I didn’t make the cape, though,” He admitted.

The memory made Supergirl feel somewhat nostalgic. “Winn didn’t even want me to have a cape. He said they were stupid.” She told Lena, flashing a smile at Winn.

“Maybe a little extra in appearance-wise,” Lena said teasingly, but continued, “but helps with aerodynamics.” 

Supergirl nodded happily. She kind of loved the brilliant mind of this woman. “My cape is from Krypton, actually,” She told Lena with a hint of sadness in her tone, “It’s impenetrable. Superman’s parents gave it to him when we were sent here. Superman wanted me to have it not long after I started being Supergirl.”

“Fascinating,” Lena whispered, her eyes alight with optimism for the first time today. 

“As much as I love science talk, ladies,” Winn said suddenly, breaking Lena from her fascination with Supergirl’s world and breaking Supergirl from her own fascination with Lena, “And as much as I definitely would like to hear about L-Corp tech later,” He added with a suggestive look to Lena, “We all know the reason you came here.” 

With that thrown out into the room, Lena’s hand fell from Supergirl’s cape and retreated back to gripping her cup. The light in her eyes that Supergirl adored was faded again, but she moved on and said, “Supergirl says you can help. I would be... Very grateful if you were willing to help me.” 

“That’s,” Winn said with a smile, “something I’m willing to do. Please don’t tell Alex, though, because she’s threatened to kill me in, like, seven different ways with just her pinkie finger.” The look of genuine fear at the threat made Supergirl nearly laugh. That definitely sounded like her stubborn sister. “I’m gonna get my tablet, gimme a sec,” Winn added as he stood up and set his teacup down on the coffee table. He gave the two a final reassuring smile and walked off to retrieve his tablet from his bedroom.

Lena watched him leave, and only then did she finally bring her cup back up to her lips and take a sip of the tea. Supergirl watched her with some sense of adoration as her eyes squinted and a crease was left between her eyebrows. “Now it’s just cold,” Lena commented with a disappointed shake of her head, “I just can’t win, huh, Supergirl?”

“You want to see something cool?” Supergirl asked, and pointed at the cup of tea Lena claimed was too cold now. Lena did not reply, but instead simply quirked her eyebrow and Supergirl knew her well enough to know that was a sign to continue. With a grin, Supergirl stared down at the cup in Lena’s hands, and not a second later her eyes glowed with an intense red, and she focused the thin beams of heat, colored blue since they were so hot, that shot out into the tea, just for a quick instant. She met Lena’s eyes, that smile still plastered on. “Cool, right?”

Lena looked down at her cup, and met Supergirl’s eyes again as she lifted it back up to take another hesitant sip. Her eyes widened slightly, and she smiled at the hero. “Impressive.” She said with amusement, “I guess Supergirl doesn’t have to worry about her drinks going cold.”

“It’s a useful trick,” Supergirl nodded.

“What about your freeze breath?” Lena asked, with that look of curiousness and wonder that Supergirl enjoyed. “Could you keep things cold or cool things down if you wanted?”

“I could,” She said, but then shrugged. “It’s a little harder to control the intensity of it, though. Like, if I tried to cool your tea down, I might accidentally just make it a block of ice… Freeze breath was the hardest for me to learn.” She knew Alex would be angry with all of the information about herself she was sharing with Lena Luthor, but she could not find herself caring about it. The look Lena had was worth it.

Before Lena could respond, or inquire further, Winn walked back in the room with his DEO-issued tablet in hand. “So, the most incriminating thing at this point,” Winn began, tapping around on the tablet as he sat down next to Supergirl, which made her have to move closer to Lena on the small couch, “is a video taken from a security camera outside of a beauty shop two blocks away from the scene. Not gonna lie, it looks bad.”

With that explained, Winn held the tablet between himself and Supergirl. Lena leaned closer, which meant she was very much up against Supergirl, in order to see the screen better, and Supergirl just tried to focus on the screen and not on Lena. Winn hit play, and the grainy, dark video rolled.

The footage showed the sidewalk and a part of the street, and it was dark save for the dim light of a streetlamp that barely fit in the picture. For a brief moment, there was nothing save for a few parked cars, not a soul nor a thing suspicious, and Supergirl tried to hope. But, then it happened; A figure walked from the right, and stopped as she stared over her shoulder. She had a bag in one hand, and in the other, she had what Supergirl knew was undeniably a detonator. The person pressed the button with her thumb, the camera shook violently a second later, and she went running across the street to a sleek, black car and got inside, before it roared to life and disappeared down the road.

A woman, in the video, who detonated the bombs. A woman who had long, dark hair and insensible heels and undeniably was Lena Luthor.

“That’s not me,” Lena said immediately, the fear back in her eyes. She knew what it looked like as much as anybody else.

“I know,” Supergirl assured her, despite how bad it all looked. That, on top of the fact the bombs were made by her own company in the past, and the fact she was related to Lex Luthor, made her look very guilty. “Winn, you can prove it’s fake, right?”

Winn looked down at the tablet and replayed the video for himself. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m going to try.” He admitted, pursing his lips.

“Watch it again and again and again until you find something,” Supergirl ordered him firmly. Lena was innocent. She didn’t care how it looked, she knew Lena was innocent. “And, the second you do, we’re all going to the DEO.”

“You got it, boss,” Winn agreed, and then added, “I don’t know how long it’ll take.”

“As quickly as you possibly can, Winn,” Supergirl told him. They did not have an incredible amount of time to spare. The DEO was already furious and Alex was rather relentless when it came to her work. She would find them sooner or later.

“Do you have a phone I could use?” Lena asked suddenly, and both Supergirl and Winn gave her a look of question. “Um, I want to call my assistant,” She admitted with an awkward look the Super was not used to seeing on her, “I mean, with everything that’s going on I know I shouldn’t, but I feel I should… I just feel I should talk to her. And, I trust her enough to not…” She trailed, but Supergirl got it.

Supergirl was surprised Lena wanted to call her—call _Kara Danvers_ , when all this was happening. And, Lena said she trusted Kara, so how was Supergirl supposed to say no at this point? It’s not like Kara would rat her out, obviously.

Winn shrugged, and eyed Supergirl for permission. She nodded. “We’ll just use *67,” He said like it were the most simple thing in the world, “You can use my phone. Just be quick about it.” He slid his cellphone from his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it across Supergirl to Lena.

Before Lena could start dialing the number— _She memorized my number,_ Supergirl thought with an odd feeling of happiness—Supergirl stood up abruptly. “I’m going to check around outside, make sure we’re safe,” She said loudly and too confidently, her fists placed on her hips. “I’ll be back.” And with that, she walked briskly to the glass doors and went outside, and she took off into the dark sky.

She flew to the rooftop of the building and sat on the ledge, got her phone and waited for Lena’s call.

—

Lena was surprised that Supergirl had gotten up and left as Lena was about to call Kara, but the superhero’s absence finally allowed her brain to function.

Lena was half-expecting to wake up at any moment and realize she was _not_ a wanted woman, she was _not_ rescued by Supergirl, and she definitely had _not_ slept in Supergirl’s arms for hours. But, the night dragged on further and further, and Supergirl was still with her, believing in her even when her friend showed them the incriminating footage.

Supergirl was _amazing_. She was undeniably, unreasonably amazing. Of course, she was a superpowered alien from another plant, so she had to be rather impressive compared to a human. But, Supergirl was even better than how the magazines and news stories made her out to be. She was better than the thousands of notes Lena’s brother had on her species.

When Supergirl had come walking into Lena’s office from her balcony, Lena could hardly believe her eyes. For a moment she had thought, maybe, her lack of sleep and one too many glasses of scotch were making her see things— but then the superhero had set her hand on her shoulder, and it was undeniably real.

Lena had felt sick when Supergirl explained to her that she was a wanted woman, that she was going to be arrested, for a terroristic attack on aliens. She had felt unbelieving and skeptical that Supergirl, knowing Lex and Superman’s history, would ever believe in her. Then, Supergirl said those simple words— _I’m a good judge of character_ —and Lena was hit with a sense of familiarity she could not quite place at the time, but it comforted her.

People dressed in black and armed with guns had come barging into her office, next, and Lena had to admit they were much less welcome than Supergirl barging in. Their boss, Agent Danvers, hated her. That much was clear. It was in everything she did, everything about her, in that short time they were in the same room. Her eyes were angry, her words had the scarily calm tone Lena knew well from her own Mother, and she had even let herself comment on the fact Lena was, indeed, a Luthor. Biased, she definitely was, and maybe for good reason.

The next point in which Lena was sure she was dreaming was when she was suddenly in Supergirl’s powerful arms, being carried through the sky while her heart pounded out of her chest.

She had taken her to an admittedly beautiful place outside the city, atop a cliff, and as strange as the entire situation was, Lena wasn’t scared or mad. Not at Supergirl, anyway. The flight wrought her with fear, but Supergirl herself, Lena didn’t find a reason to worry about the Super.

Somehow, the events following were even more surprising to Lena than the initial parts. Supergirl had laid her red cape down on the grass for Lena to sit on, she had wrapped her arm around Lena’s shoulders and held her even after Lena had fallen asleep, even for a bit after she had woken back up. The Kryptonian was warm. Despite the chill of the outside, Supergirl seemed to radiate warmth. It was, Lena knew but would never outwardly admit in so many words, oddly comforting and that was the only reason Lena could think of as to why she had let herself fall asleep.

And then, later, Supergirl had kneeled down and taken Lena’s shoes off. She teased her about the ridiculously high heels and then when they were brought tea, she stopped Lena from taking a sip too quickly in fear that she would burn herself.

Supergirl kept making her smile, the way Kara Danvers kept making her smile.

Lena dialed Kara’s number into the cellphone as Winn got up and watched her from the opposite side of the room, which Lena did appreciate the space. She had memorized it somewhat unintentionally, she had not particularly made a point of memorizing it, but she had. Her memory was good in general, and Kara was oddly important to her. The phone rang twice before it was answered and Lena heard Kara’s stuttering voice.

 _“L-Lena, hey!”_ She said cheerfully, yet with that familiar nervousness.

“Kara,” Lena breathed out, for some reason feeling relieved at the woman answering. “I need to apologize.”

 _“What?”_ Kara asked, her voice showing she had no idea why Lena wanted to apologize of all things. The sound coming from Kara’s end was loud, and Lena was not sure why. It sounded windy. Lena had no idea why Kara would be outside this time of night, but then again, it wasn’t as if she knew her assistant very well outside of work.

Lena took a short, but deep breath as she adjusted her grip on the phone and readied herself. “Admittedly, I’m scared.” She said quietly into the receiver, her hand gripped painfully tightly around the device. The knowledge this Winn Schott was going to hear every bit of this conversation made her feel like her pride was hurt, but she went on anyway. “You know what’s happened, I assume.”

 _“Uh, y-yeah. It’s all over the, the news, that’s the reason I know,”_ Kara said quickly, and Lena thought it was a strange way to word it, but she also knew that Kara was strange in general. _“And, I’m your assistant, so… Yeah.”_

“I’m sorry for all this trouble,” Lena mumbled bitterly just loudly enough that the phone would pick it up, “I know the agent working the case is your sister, Kara. I just hope you haven’t been given too much trouble because of it. I… Know it all looks very, very bad, and I understand that and you don’t have to believe me, but I didn’t do what they’re accusing me of. I’m afraid you think I did, but I hope you’ll give me a chance to prove I didn’t.” She didn’t know why she was so worried about what Kara thought of her. If Kara was convinced she committed the crime even if Lena was proven innocent, Lena could always hire another assistant. It wasn’t an issue. And, yet, she found herself caring far more than she should about what Kara Danvers thought.

 _“I know you didn’t do it, Lena,”_ Kara said, her voice not nervous anymore, and it was about the most confident sentence she had heard from the girl. Lena was taken aback. _“I know you wouldn’t, and I’ll be here for you when you’re off the hook. Not if,”_ She said firmly, _“But when.”_

“…Thank you, Kara,” Lena said quietly, and she felt herself relax somewhat. Kara believed in her. “Supergirl, um… Saved me, and we’re working on it. She’s amazing, Kara.” That part slipped out without her thinking about it, and she quickly moved on, “I hope I get to tell you about all of it in person if I get out of this.”

 _“Not if,”_ Kara corrected easily, and Lena could practically see that beautiful, vibrant smile of hers, _“When. I can’t wait to hear about it.”_

“I,” Lena said and glanced at Winn. “Should probably go. But, honestly, thank you so much, Kara.”

_“Bye, Lena. You’re going to be okay.”_

The line went silent, and Winn came back over to retrieve his phone. Lena wanted to be at L-Corp with her dorky assistant, with things back to normal, as quickly as possible, that much she knew.

Not a second later did Supergirl come flying back into the apartment, and she landed, pushing back her hair behind her ear. “All clear,” Supergirl said with the gusto of a hero, and that smile like Kara’s stuck on her face. “It go well?”

“Very,” Lena admitted with a soft smile.

“Good,” Supergirl said simply. Winn had taken to watching the video again, and she asked him, “That’s going to take a while, yes?”

Winn looked up at her and gave a nod. “Yeah, I don’t know how long. Could be a few hours, a day, who knows.” He gave a slightly regretful look to Lena, “Sorry.”

Supergirl hummed optimistically and turned her attention to Lena as she stood in front of her. Lena looked at the hero with a sense of confusion as Supergirl held her hand out to her, offering it. “Come on,” Supergirl urged, “no point in us sitting around anxiously while Winn does his work.”

It was unclear to Lena what exactly the Super had in mind, and yet she found herself taking her hand and letting Supergirl pull her to her feet. “Shoes,” Supergirl said simply, and pointed at Lena’s discarded high heels, “Even though they’re insane.”

“They’re truly not,” Lena rolled her eyes as she gathered her shoes and put them on. Something about the practically invisible superhero despising high heels so strongly was humorous to Lena. If Lex wanted to make Supergirl suffer, some kryptonite heels would suffice.

“See ya, Winn,” Supergirl said to her friend. “If we aren’t back when you find something, call me the second you find something out.”

“Goodbye,” Lena said to him as well.

“Have fun, ladies,” Winn said in an odd voice, looking at Supergirl with a sort of knowing smile that Lena could not for the life of her explain, but Supergirl apparently could because the hero actually looked embarrassed.

Supergirl cleared her throat, and glared at Winn before she smiled like sunshine at Lena again. “Mind flying, Miss Luthor?” She asked as she lead Lena to the glass doors they had entered from.

The question made Lena’s stomach feel somewhat sick. Heights and flying were not something she was quite fond of. She did, however, appreciate that the Super had apologized for the first time and had taken to asking for permission before sweeping her off her feet.

Not to mention, flying wasn’t nearly as bad when it was Supergirl holding her tightly, assuring her that she would be okay. If anything, Lena preferred it to a helicopter.

“That’s fine,” Lena said with a tight-lipped smile. She headed outside onto the balcony with Supergirl, who definitely sensed her worry. Her pride was absolutely going to be hurt by the end of this adventure with Supergirl.

Lena tried to ignore the pounding feeling in her chest as she was gently scooped up into Supergirl’s arms, which proved to be a difficult feat when she was not quite sure if her heart was beating so erratically because of her fear of flying, the odd fluttery feeling that Supergirl gave her, or a mixture of both. Supergirl held her tightly, and Lena had learned by now to press her face into Supergirl’s chest because she knew otherwise she would look down and see the ground below them. She was not quite sure her heart would be able to handle that.

“Don’t worry,” Supergirl said right on cue, and Lena hated how much she trusted this superhero. A second later, Lena could feel the wind rushing past them and she knew she was in the air, but she wanted to ignore that as best as she could.

Instead, she found herself focused on Supergirl. On the sleek material of her suit, on the symbol on her chest. Not an S, she remembered from Lex, but a symbol for the House of El. A Kryptonian family’s crest. She found herself focused on how tightly Supergirl held her, and how every once in a while she could feel Supergirl’s golden hair brush against her hand. She focused on the calm, confident words Supergirl spoke to her every once in a while to reassure her.

Supergirl was seriously too much.

Lena could tell when they landed. The wind stopped gushing past her when they did. Yet, the second time they flew, Lena had still waited for Supergirl to tell her they were on the ground. She had not been sure why, but still, she did the same thing now. She clung onto Supergirl still, like her life depended on it, and maybe her choice of not moving until Supergirl said was not entirely one-sided. Because Lena could tell they had landed, and yet Supergirl did not immediately tell Lena. She lingered, for a bit longer than she should, just holding onto Lena, before she finally spoke.

“We’ve landed, Miss Luthor.”

With that cue said, Lena slowly raised her head from Supergirl, and Supergirl gently set her down on her feet. Lena looked around them and had absolutely no idea where they were. They were not in the city, that much was certain. The land was barren save for a few scattered trees, old appliances, and large bits of metal that did not seem to have any purpose. It was dark and hard to see, but all it was was scrapped metal.

As if sensing Lena’s confusion, Supergirl said, “Hold on a minute.” To Lena’s confusion, the hero just lifted a huge hunk of metal from the ground and easily twisted it, the metal moving with a tight, screeching noise until she had formed a circle. To Lena it was insane, to think she could bend that heap of metal with more ease than a human could bend a paper clip. Supergirl dropped it back onto the dirt, and her next task seemed to have to do with the trees. She flew up just enough to reach the top of one tree, and she snapped off a few branches with leaves before she flew back down and set them neatly in the middle of the metal circle she had made.

To Lena’s amusement, Supergirl’s eyes lit up that beautifully scary array of oranges and reds, and thin rays of infra-red heat shot out, aimed at the pile of branches. Supergirl’s arts and crafts project turned out to be her attempt at making a fire— Not a minute later did flames nearly as beautiful as Supergirl’s heated eyes grow within the metal circle, becoming bigger until the area was lit up with a dim orange. Satisfied, Supergirl laid off the heat, and she grinned at Lena.

“Since we have to wait for Winn to find something,” Supergirl explained, as she dusted her hands off on her skirt, “I just wanna show you my powers. Up close and personal demonstration, since you seem so big on science.” Then, her eyes had a look of nervousness that Lena just knew was familiar from somewhere, and she added, “If you want, Miss Luthor.”

“Who would turn that down?” Lena mused, and crossed her arms across her chest, leaning her weight on one leg. “I would love to see your powers in reality rather than on terrible news footage and iPhone video on YouTube.”

Supergirl gave her a look of tease. “You watch videos of me on YouTube?” She asked as she set her fists on her hips. Supergirl’s famous pose, Lena had seen it on the cover of CatCo Magazine time and time again.

“Of course,” Lena said with a nod, “now, it seems, I don’t need to since I’m getting a live demonstration, hm?”

With a smile, her answer came in the form of Supergirl hovering off of the ground. “What do you wanna see me break first?” She asked confidently, pounding her fist into the palm of her hand. Her eyes flit around for a second before they landed back on Lena.

Lena just smiled and hummed quietly as she looked around. Her eyes landed on an old washing machine, and so she pointed at that. “How about it, Supergirl? Give me one more example of your heat vision? One that’s much less… Normal than heating up tea or making a campfire.” The fact Supergirl used her powers for such mundane things interested, or maybe just plain sparked affection, in Lena. Something about the thought of the superhero using her heat vision instead of an oven for a meal, or using her freeze breath to chill a room to save on AC, brought such a sense of quirkiness and normality to the overpowered woman that Lena strangely thought fit her.

Supergirl pounded her fist into her palm once more, before she said, “No problem.” She drifted over to the big washing machine, and she grabbed the surface of the metal with such strength she made her own handle, the metal crunching under her fingertips. The sight made Lena’s heart stop for a moment— it was amazing to see how strong Supergirl was, with this and the metal for her fire, after being so gentle with Lena.

With no more than a quiet grunt, Supergirl threw the unused machine so high into the dark sky that Lena nearly lost sight of it. The machine hurled back down to the earth so quickly that Lena was not sure what Supergirl was supposed to do, but her question was answered when the machine came down just ten feet above the both of them and Supergirl’s heat vision flashed. The beams cut a straight line down the center of the machine, and it fell to the ground in two halves, the metal glowing a faint red as they melted.

A look of pride crossed Supergirl’s features as she looked at Lena for her opinion.

“How do you control it?” Lena asked suddenly, her eyes glued to the glow of the melted machine, “Your heat vision. Your other powers, too. Like, how do you activate them, Supergirl?”

“I don’t know,” Supergirl admitted, flashing her heat vision again at the metal. She absentmindedly was drawing an L into the surface, which intrigued Lena. “It’s just, it’s like an extension of myself. Like, how you don’t think about walking, you just do it.” She had taken to cutting up the metal in half again and once more with her heat vision as she talked. “With some of my powers, doing certain little things help. Like, with my x-ray vision, if I squint I can see better. Or, with my hearing, I can hear literally everything, but I’ve learned to be able to concentrate on a particular sound, and I can hear it amazingly, above anything else. Like, um, your heartbeat. I can tell you’re not lying about being innocent, and I can hear your fear when we lift off. I could probably hear it from across the city if I picked the sound of it out and focused. Your heartbeat is, um, a nice sound.”

A beat passed where Lena was not sure what to say. Something about the knowledge was interesting from a scientific perspective— the idea Supergirl could hear something as simple and faint as a heartbeat from across a city. Another aspect of what Supergirl said made Lena unsure of what exactly to think— _Your heartbeat is a nice sound._ “What else can you tell from someone’s heartbeat?” Lena chose to ask, “You said you could tell I wasn’t lying, and that I was… Scared, when flying.” If nothing else, Lena hated to admit to being scared of something so silly.

A gentle, amused look crossed Supergirl’s features and she answered Lena’s question with a laugh. “Your heartbeat picked up when I said it’s a nice sound,” She observed. “It’s been doing that every little while. Like you get nervous at some things…”

Immediately, Lena’s eyes went somewhat wide. She cursed her own heart in her head— She knew she felt off around Supergirl, but she did not need her heartbeat giving her away to Supergirl. “I don’t think it has been doing that.” She defended herself.

“Whatever you say, Miss Luthor,” Supergirl shrugged with a grin, and then went on seriously, “But, with people in general, I can usually tell if they’re lying… Or, nervous… Or, scared… With people I’m close to I can tell more things. Different people’s heartbeat changes, really slightly, depending on how they’re feeling. Like, Winn, when he gets excited about something, his heart stops for just a beat before picking up. Or, when he’s jealous, it picks up so slightly that it took me a year to even notice it.”

“That’s…”

“Amazing?” Supergirl finished for her, and Lena halfway wanted to wipe that grin off her face, it was just making her brain short-circuit. “I heard you tell your assistant that Supergirl is amazing,” Supergirl teased, her eyes sparkling in the flickering light from the fire in a mischievous way.

“I—“ Lena was at a loss for words. “I take it back, you’re insufferable.” She said, and judging by how Supergirl gave her a look and placed her hand over her heart, Supergirl was telling her that’s a lie. Instead of defending herself further, Lena scoffed, and said, “How about you just show me more of your powers, Supergirl?”

Supergirl seemed to be happy with this, and she cracked her neck as she looked behind her. “Sure. Want to see me punch a hole straight through that?” She pointed, and Lena looked behind her at the object in question. A large chunk of metal, nearly two feet wide, laid there on the ground, and so she gave Supergirl a nod in urge for her to show her. Seemingly happy to show off to Lena, Supergirl lifted the object off the ground and held it out in front of her as she drew her hand back in a tight fist. She made eye contact with Lena out of the corner of her eyes, obviously cocky before she propelled her fist forward with such speed it took Lena a moment to even register the movement. There was a sickening crunch of metal, and broken, jagged shards of it broke off, flying away from Supergirl and the force caused a few to get stuck in the trunk of a tree.

Fist drawing back away from the metal—Lena saw her entire arm was sticking through the once solid heap—Supergirl turned it so Lena could see the hole going all the way through the two feet of metal, and she could see the campfire’s light on the other side. “Once, I accidentally punched a hole through a pillar holding up a building.” Supergirl told Lena with a guilty laugh, “I hadn’t known how to control my strength, then.”

Eyes glued to the hole, Lena gave an approving nod at the hero. “I’m impressed,” She said, truthfully. Sometimes, it was hard to truly imagine a person, who looked so human, being able to punch through something solid. If a human tried to do that, their hand would shatter and there would not even be a dent on the metal.

“Oh,” Supergirl said, to herself more than Lena, as she seemed to have noticed the shards that hit the tree trunk and worked their sharp way into the bark. She walked over to the tree, and without a word, started picking the metal out of the wood. Once she had plucked all of it out, Supergirl patted the tree trunk with her hand briefly as if it was sentient and she was apologizing.

Lena watched her, her eyes drawn to the way Supergirl’s hair seemed to glow in the low light of the fire, and Lena could truly not understand why her brother had been so adamant on hating aliens when there was one like her.

Despite her superhero-esque confidence and cockiness, Supergirl had a strange sense of nervousness and silliness under it, like she was masking another person but kept letting it slip out. Supergirl was quite literally a woman who could snap Lena in half in a second if she wanted to, and yet she seemed about as dangerous as a playful golden retriever.

Every act this alien had displayed had shown nothing but good intentions, and a somewhat overwhelming sense of righteousness to the point it was just silly. If there was a single world-domination urge in Supergirl, she was so wonderful at hiding it that it simply was not even there any longer.

If half of the aliens in the world had even a sliver of this woman’s righteousness, nobody would have a problem. Surely, if people saw how wonderful Supergirl truly was, they would not be able to hate aliens at least as much.

“You’re hungry,” Supergirl spoke up suddenly, her hands full of metal shards, and it took Lena by surprise in multiple ways. Lena gave her a quizzical look, prompting an explanation for the sudden burst that made no sense to Lena. “I heard your stomach growl,” Supergirl said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, even though Lena herself had not heard her stomach apparently growl.

“I’m not hungry,” Lena tried.

“You’re hungry,” Supergirl said and walked up to Lena. She set the metal shards down in a neat pile near the fire she had made. “Kara Danvers has told me how much you forget to eat.”

“Should I be concerned with the fact my assistant is so close to a government agent and Supergirl?” Lena retorted, amused. However, something was off about Supergirl, Kara, and Agent Danvers, she could feel something was off, but for the life of her how was she supposed to figure it out when Supergirl was so distracting?

“Nope,” Supergirl said and shook her head. Then, she got that look that just showed she wanted to show off, and she moved into a position that looked like she was about to take off. “You want to test my superspeed?” She asked, her boot digging into the dirt as she readied herself, “I’m pretty fast, you know.”

“Only since you seem to like impressing me, let’s see it, Supergirl,” Lena urged, attempting to sound like she could not care less, but really, she was impressed. She was intrigued and captivated by this woman. She knew Supergirl could tell she was, but she had enough pride left to not admit it to her.

With a final glance, Supergirl darted away, so quickly Lena was not actually sure where she went and the gust of wind and dust nearly knocked her off her feet. The Super was completely gone from her sight in less than a second, and sure, maybe Lena was impressed already.

Just a few minutes later, Supergirl landed next to her, having flown in from the opposite direction she had left. Lena jumped at the sudden figure next to her— She hadn’t even seen Supergirl approaching until she was already there. Supergirl smiled apologetically at Lena jumping nearly out of her own skin, and Lena looked at what was there that had not been before. In one hand she was holding flowers—Plumerias, Lena knew well, she bought them often—and in the other hand she was clutching a paper bag that smelled entirely of grease.

“How quick was that?” Supergirl asked, twitching her head to the side quickly to get her golden hair to fall behind her shoulders.

“Four minutes,” Lena breathed out.

Supergirl held out the flowers to Lena, with that stupid grin, and Lena took them with question. She examined the white flowers she now held, with their disastrously cut stems and soft petals. Not in any special manner were they placed together, just a few of the beautiful flowers loose from each other but held in a bundle by Lena.

“How did you get these?” Lena asked, staring at their lovely petals. “It takes me forever to get plumerias.”

“I picked them,” Supergirl said simply, “in Mexico. Also, I got us fast food.” She held up the paper bag like that compared to the fact she flew to Mexico to pick flowers, and got fast food on the way back, in two minutes.

Lena stared at the superhero with disbelief. “Excuse me?”

But, Supergirl was busy opening the crinkling bag to get their food. She pulled out two wrapped items, and gave Lena a glance as she held one out to Lena. “Have you had Big Belly Burger?” She asked, and waved the thing, the hamburger, to indicate for Lena to take it.

“Can’t say I have,” Lena mumbled, still attempting to wrap her brain around the flowers in her hand. She knew Supers were fast, she knew Superman was fast, but like the rest of this adventure, everything seemed to be much more shocking in reality than in stories. Supergirl was really something. “My Mother most likely would not touch the food from that establishment with a ten-foot pole.”

“Your Mother is insane,” Supergirl told her, before quickly following with, “no offense.”

“None taken,” Lena laughed, and she could not escape the feeling that this conversation was familiar. Deja vu, she chalked it down to, and tried to ignore it as Supergirl dragged a long strip of thick metal near the fire and sat down on it. She patted next to her, a signal for Lena to join her, and so Lena did join her on the cool metal. She gently set down the group of flowers Supergirl had picked on the ground.

From Supergirl, Lena took one burger and carefully unwrapped it while Supergirl nearly tore the thin paper off of hers like a beast who had not eaten in weeks. She seemed to notice Lena look at her, and she offered a sly smile as she shrugged and defended herself with, “I really like their burgers.” To punctuate her declaration of love for the food, she took a big bite and gave an exaggerated look of happiness, her eyes rolling back.

Lena scoffed at the Super, who was much less threatening than one would think, and stared at her own hamburger. If anything, Lena noticed, Supergirl had tried to make Lena’s a tad more healthy. Lena could see Supergirl’s burger had just about everything there possibly could be on it, drowned in ketchup, mustard, and god knows what else, while Lena’s had plenty of vegetables on it. If not for her Kryptonian DNA, Lena was not so sure Supergirl would be so fit. Lena prepared herself for the greasy food, and took a small bite.

It was good.

Admittedly, it was very good, and she ate the rest without any qualms. Much like Kara with her donuts, Lena was pleasantly surprised. Despite the heavy smell of grease in the air, it actually was not too bad— Lena somewhat suspected the majority of that grease was coming from Supergirl’s food and not hers.

“What do you think?” Supergirl asked her, and wiped her hands together to dust off any crumbs. She looked at Lena in an expectant manner, and like she already knew the answer.

“I’ll have to ask Kara to get me it, sometime,” Lena said with a nonchalant shrug, “just once.”

“More like, every week,” Supergirl corrected for her.

“No, absolutely not,” Lena argued with a roll of her eyes. “Not all of us don’t gain weight, Supergirl.” She reminded with an accusatory stare, her eyebrow quirking up at the comment. If everybody had that Kryptonian DNA, maybe she would allow herself to indulge in donuts and burgers more often, but frankly, that was not the case.

“So?” Supergirl asked, and it was evident in her voice that she truly did not see why it was an issue. “This stuff is so good. Way better than… Kale.” Her nose crinkled at the word, like just the thought made her sick.

“High heels and kale,” Lena said in amusement, “Supergirl’s weaknesses, hm?”

“Yeah!” Supergirl nodded. “Both are bad.”

“I’m your worst nightmare, then,” Lena said in good nature, and she honestly was completely joking. “A Luthor who enjoys kale and wears high heels on a daily basis. Worse than Lex, since he doesn’t have the high heel factor.”

Supergirl, however, gave Lena a sad look and her body slumped. “Your heartbeat gives you away,” She reminded her, and before Lena could question what she meant, Supergirl went on, “You joke about being a Luthor and how everybody thinks you’re bad, but you don’t think it’s funny. You just seem sad.”

For a moment, neither of them said anything. Lena just did not quite know how to respond.

“Can I tell you something, Miss Luthor?” Supergirl asked. Lena gave her a look, and nodded. “Your eyes are kind of seriously beautiful. You’ve pretty much mastered that stone-cold business look you use, but your eyes don’t follow that. Even before you outwardly said that you’re innocent, I could see it in your eyes. And, when science or technology is brought up, you get this optimistic, hopeful look in your eyes and it’s obvious you love learning more than anything else. When you talk about being a Luthor, about what your brother did, you look guilty for being related to him, you look sorry for everything he did even though you didn’t do it, you just look hurt. That’s how I trust you so much, because even though your brother did awful things, I don’t think you could hurt anybody. Someone who’s evil doesn’t look like that.”

Supergirl took a short breath, laughing quietly. “That’s, um, why I wanted to show you all my powers. So I could see that hope in your eyes while we wait for Winn. It’s beautiful on you. It makes me feel hopeful.”

“I…” Lena had no words. She knew for a fact her heart was pounding, and she knew Supergirl could hear it perfectly well. She felt entirely exposed to this alien. “I… Didn’t take you for being such a poet, Supergirl.” She said quietly, yet somehow Supergirl seemed to understand the appreciation lying underneath the joke.

Supergirl smiled at her so gently, with so much warmth, and Lena really could not possibly deny how much she liked the hero. Really, who couldn’t?

Just as Supergirl was about to say something in response, the loud chime of a phone started ringing and scared both of them. Lena admittedly jumped the slightest bit at the sudden noise, and Supergirl seemed to be even more surprised by it because she had completely jumped up to her feet like she had been caught doing something scandalous. Lena watched her closely as she pulled out her cellphone, which was certainly ringing very loudly, and she looked at the screen.

Supergirl glanced at Lena, and said, “It’s Winn.” With that said, she answered the call and hit the speaker button, as Lena picked up her plumerias and stood up beside her. Winn was calling, that had to be a good sign.

“Hey,” Supergirl said into the phone, “Find anything?”

“You guys should be impressed I was so quick,” Winn said on the other end, and he sounded incredibly satisfied with himself. “Like, any normal dude, probably would have taken, like, a few weeks—“

“Winn.” Supergirl said firmly.

He cleared his throat. “Right. So, I definitely just proved the person in the video isn’t Lena. It took some effort but I found out that—“

Supergirl had evidently heard enough, because she interrupted him and said, “You can explain when we get there. Thank you so much, Winn, we’ll be there in a minute.” Before he could utter a response, she hung up, and met Lena’s eyes, her smile was wide and it proved to Lena they were going to win.

After all, if Supergirl believed it, how could she not?

Supergirl stepped away from Lena for a moment, her gaze locked on the campfire she had started. She met Lena’s eyes, and said, “Want to see freeze breath?” And with a nod from Lena, Supergirl focused back on the fire and drew air into her lungs, her chest puffing out, before blowing an icy chill at the flames.

Lena could feel the stark coldness from where she stood, and just a moment later, the flames were gone and in their place was jagged ice that stuck against the metal circle and poked in every direction.

With that power shown off, Supergirl stood next to Lena, and said, “I think you know what’s next.”

Flying, of course. Despite her persistent fear of it, this time around was not as bad for Lena to accept.

Sparing a final glance at the ice, Lena nodded, and the next thing she knew, she was in Supergirl’s arms.

—

When Supergirl and Lena got back to Winn’s apartment, he was sitting on the couch with his tablet next to him and his laptop on his lap. He didn’t look at them as they came in, and simply said, “Welcome back.”

Supergirl set Lena down and took notice of the fact Lena was still clinging onto the flowers Supergirl had brought. The thought distracted her for a moment, before she shook her head to clear her mind, and said, “What did you find, Winn?” She and Lena both headed for his couch, and sat next to each other, Supergirl in-between Lena and Winn. Supergirl set her hand on Winn’s shoulder to urge him to tell them quickly.

With a cocky smile, Winn angled his laptop for both of them to see. Currently, on the screen, there was the video he had shown them earlier, paused. “Well, Supergirl and Mrs. Supergirl,” He said teasingly, and Supergirl promptly squeezed his shoulder a little too hard, “Ow— Okay, don’t be rude to the man who’s proving her innocence, thank you.”

Supergirl glared at him. “Winn.” She warned.

“Okay, okay,” He caved and looked down at his laptop. “So, check this out. The beauty store the footage came from, right? I hacked into their CCTV to get a copy of the raw video footage of Lena detonating the bomb,” He paused to type something into it. A bunch of letters popped up on the screen and Winn kept going, “But, ha! It looks like somebody already hacked into this system.”

“What are you saying?” Lena asked even before Supergirl could, and Supergirl took faint notice of Lena’s hand on her forearm, clutching tightly. She was sure Lena wasn’t aware she was doing it.

“So,” Winn said, “I thought, if the video was corrupted, I could reverse the signature used and decrypt it,” He was typing again, “and separate the raw video file from the corrupted one. And…”

The video went staticky and looked like it was glitching, colored bars and squares flashing across it, before the video went back to normal.

However, instead of Lena standing under that streetlight, it was a blonde woman with the uniform of the very same shop that the footage came from.

“Supergirl was right,” Winn said to Lena.

It wasn’t Lena. Supergirl immediately felt all of her worry fade at the sight. It wasn’t Lena. “We have to show Alex,” Supergirl said suddenly to Winn, “I mean, Agent Danvers. We can’t waste any more time. This is all the evidence we need, right?”

Her attention turned to Lena. Lena looked so relieved, she was staring at the real footage of who had committed the crime, and Supergirl could see that flicker of hope in her eyes.

“Well, yeah,” Winn answered her and shut his laptop. “Even Agent Danvers, as stubborn as she is, can’t come after Lena with this evidence. Whoever that lady is in the video, she’s the one who did it, and since that’s the actual raw footage, she’s definitely the one.”

“Perfect, so this is all we need,” Supergirl said, and breathed a sigh of relief. This was enough to prove Lena was innocent, it was enough to lock up the person who was actually to blame.

“You might be in some trouble, though, Supergirl,” Winn reminded her with a grimace.

Lena’s touch on her arm turned gentle, and Lena said apologetically, “How much trouble?”

But Supergirl just stood up from Winn’s old couch and set her hands on her hips. “Nope,” She scolded the both of them, and shook her head, “Don’t get all worried. This is a win, not a loss.”

She knew she was in trouble with the DEO the second she had flown out of L-Corp with Lena in her arms, the second she heard Alex yell her name in fury. She knew she definitely was in some personal trouble with her sister. But, that would all fade, especially since Supergirl had been right about Lena being innocent. She could deal with the mess afterward, but the most important thing at the moment was clearing Lena’s name.

“It’s not over until it’s over, Supergirl,” Lena said dryly, cautiously, “don’t count it as a victory, yet.”

“Too late for that,” Winn said with a chuckle at Supergirl. He stood up, then, with a small grunt, and held his laptop tightly. “She won’t relent, Lena, may as well just accept the fact she’s selfless beyond reason.”

Despite her apologetic and guilty look at the knowledge Supergirl would definitely be in trouble for helping her, Lena hesitantly joined the two of them standing up.

Supergirl smiled with a shrug, “To the DEO?”

“To the DEO,” Winn agreed cheerfully, while Lena just looked at Supergirl helplessly. “I’ll get my car keys.”

“I can’t help but feel like we should think it through some more,” Lena said, but Supergirl shook her head as Winn came back jangling his car keys.

—

“Agent Danvers!” Supergirl yelled as she marched into the DEO, hands curled into fists at her side, Winn and Lena a step behind her. She stopped in the middle of the main room, and set one hand on Lena’s shoulder, looking around the room at the agents carefully.

Winn somehow looked even more nervous than Lena did, his knuckles white from clutching his laptop so hard. And as Alex emerged from a hallway into the main room with agents beside her, he let out a loud, “Uh oh.” He whispered to Supergirl, “We did not think this through.”

“Winn, calm down,” Supergirl whispered harshly to him through grit teeth. The last thing they needed to look was nervous and guilty when trying to prove someone was not guilty.

Alex, on her part, looked beyond angry. She came to a stop a few feet in front of the trio, raised her hand to tell all of the agents in the room not to make any moves. Her expression was cold and hard, and Supergirl would have felt intimidated if she wasn’t so set on clearing Lena’s name.

“Supergirl,” Alex greeted rather coldly, and Supergirl felt Winn take a step back as Alex looked at him. “Agent Schott.” She took a deep breath, which made it clear she was currently refraining from completely going off on the both of them. “If you would save everybody the trouble, and just let us arrest the Luthor without flying off again, I would appreciate that.”

Instead, Supergirl stepped in front of Lena, making it clear that their intention was not to give her up. The move very clearly did not please her sister, but Supergirl said, “There’s no need to arrest her. We have proof. Actual proof, this time, I promise.” She held her hands out carefully, in the hopes that Alex would calm down and hear them out, “Winn found something. The security footage from that store, it’s fake. Somebody hacked into it, Lena Luthor was never there.”

Alex just stared at her. For a moment, she said nothing, did not move, and Supergirl was worried. But, then, Alex looked at Winn and raised her finger, telling him to step forward so they could talk. Winn did so, stepping forward so he was right next to Supergirl.

“Explain,” Alex prompted simply.

“R-Right,” Winn stuttered and fumbled with his laptop in an attempt to open it while still holding it. He managed, the bottom of it resting on one arm while he used the other to maneuver the trackpad. He walked towards Alex, and explained, “Somebody had gotten into the system and corrupted the video file. I was able to reverse it and retrieve the original video.”

Alex took the laptop from him and peered at it carefully. He kept explaining as she studied the screen. “Lena Luthor wasn’t there. It was some woman working at that store, or at least pretending to work there.”

Supergirl watched Alex as she squinted at the screen. She could hear Lena’s quick heartbeat, could tell Lena was holding her breath at the moment, and she wanted to tell Lena it was okay, but she refused to move or speak until Alex did.

It seemed like Alex was searching for anything, absolutely anything in the raw video that would give her a reason to throw it out as evidence, because two minutes had passed and she was still looking, her expression growing angrier by the second.

That is, until a loud voice spoke up and Alex looked up from the laptop.

“What’s going on in here, Agent Danvers?” J’onn asked firmly as he walked in, and up to Alex, with his arms crossed. Supergirl didn’t think she had ever been so glad to see him—Even if he was stubborn, he was certainly less than Alex was.

“Supergirl and Winn showed up with Lena Luthor,” Alex explained after a moment of hesitation. J’onn’s attention came over to Supergirl, and the woman standing behind her, before he looked back at Alex and Winn. He gave her a look, prompting the rest. “…And, they claim to have evidence that the security footage of Lena Luthor was fake. Agent Schott says he was able to separate the raw footage from the corrupted footage.”

“Claim, or have, Agent Danvers?” J’onn asked pointedly as he took the laptop from Alex to examine himself. He took about twenty seconds of observation, clicking around and looking at the screen before he gave Alex a look.

“…They have evidence, Director.” Alex admitted begrudgingly.

J’onn looked at Supergirl, then, and Supergirl spoke up confidently, “Lena Luthor had nothing to do with that attack on the Alien Refugee Center. The woman in that video did it, possibly with help on the security footage hacking, in an attempt to frame Miss Luthor. She was at L-Corp all night, and she had nothing to do with the making of the bombs, the attack, or the coverup.”

“Agent Schott, get this video into our system.” J’onn directed loudly as he motioned towards the monitor hub, and handed the laptop back to Winn. Then, to Alex, he ordered, “Agent Danvers, have this woman taken into DEO custody and have her questioned. As of now, she is our prime suspect and Lena Luthor is free to go.”

Alex looked like she wanted to argue, but instead, she pursed her lips and said lowly, “Of course, Director Henshaw.” She made eye contact with Supergirl, clearly still upset, as she started barking orders at DEO agents. “Smith, Roberts, Vasquez, you’re with me. Johnson, set up an interrogation room.”

She walked towards Supergirl, muttered quietly, “We’re talking later,” And with that said, she walked past her.

But, Supergirl just turned to look at Lena as she breathed a sigh of relief. Supergirl smiled widely, and shrugged, “We did it, Miss Luthor!” She exclaimed happily. Even if she did have to have a long, tiresome conversation with Alex later about quite a few different things, right now she was beyond happy.

“Thanks to you, Supergirl,” She said quietly, looking at the hero with some sort of awe. “I’m rather glad I don’t have to spend the next while of my life in some prison cell.”

“Supergirl,” J’onn’s voice came from right behind her, and Supergirl felt her happiness fade a small bit. She turned around with a nervous smile. “Despite being right, you did get in the way of a warranted arrest.” J’onn said, some sort of disdain in his tone, “And got in the way of official DEO business, which I will remind you, we do not owe you anything, Supergirl. Your partnership with us can be broken, it’s not a guaranteed thing that you have at your disposal.”

With a grimace, Supergirl looked down at the cold floor. “Yes, sir,” She muttered, clasping her hands together. She had expected as much.

To her surprise, Lena stepped up next to her then and said calmly with somewhat fake kindness, “Nice to meet you, I’m Lena Luthor.” She held her hand out in an offer of a handshake.

J’onn’s concentrated expression faded to something else, but he took Lena’s hand in a firm grasp. “Director Hank Henshaw.” He introduced himself before the two of them relinquished their handshake. “On behalf of the DEO, I would like to apologize for all of the trouble. I also am going to need you to sign some papers, since somebody didn’t think about bringing you to a secret government agency,” He finished with a pointed look towards Supergirl.

With a nod, Lena agreed, “Yes, I suppose someone didn’t quite think through that.”

Supergirl gaped at Lena, “Who’s side are you on—“

“Director Henshaw,” Lena said, hushing Supergirl with a raised hand. Supergirl went quiet and watched Lena with a pout. “We can both agree that Supergirl’s actions were… Unprofessional, or problematic, even,” Lena went on, and Supergirl could not believe that. But, Lena continued, “However, it’s Supergirl…” Lena smiled despite herself. “I don’t think she would pull such a thing unless she was completely sure it was the right thing to do. Everything I’ve seen her do has been righteous to the point I can’t understand what goes through her head. So, I know she got in the way of your warrant and your job, and believe me as a businesswoman I understand that, but please, don’t be angry with her for doing what Supergirl does. If you so choose to blow the matter up further than necessary, I’ll happily take full responsibility, but that’s a matter for you and my _lawyers_ , not Supergirl.”

Supergirl blinked dumbly as she looked at Lena, who finished her spiel with a polite smile. Lena stood up for her. Supergirl looked to J’onn, then, with an expectant nervous grin.

J’onn stared at Lena with cold eyes, before he genuinely smiled and shook his head while he crossed his arms. “Okay,” He said simply, but then looked at Supergirl with a warning, “Don’t pull anything like this again, Supergirl. And get Miss Luthor out of here as soon as possible after having her sign the correct documents. I have enough sass to deal with when it’s just you and Agent Danvers.”

“I’m a busy woman, and especially after all the trouble your department has put me through, I have a lot to catch up on at work,” Lena said nicely, that too-polite smile still there, “Have whatever papers you need signed sent to my company. Cordova Street, name’s on the building, can’t miss it.”

Amused yet annoyed, J’onn motioned with a nod behind the both of them to the entrance. “Out, both of you, before I change my mind. Fly her home or something.”

“Thanks, J— Henshaw!” Supergirl said with a short laugh before she grabbed Lena’s hand and pulled her to the entrance. She stopped just before the entrance, as J’onn walked back to the monitor hub to look over the video footage again. Supergirl looked at Lena as a smile grew on her.

“Up, up, and away?” She asked her.

—

Supergirl touched down with Lena just outside the entrance to L-Corp. Lena had nearly had to argue with the Super about taking her back to her work—Why would you want to work after nearly being arrested—but had convinced Supergirl after a brief moment of arguing.

“Supergirl saved the day yet again,” Lena praised with a quirked up eyebrow as Supergirl set her down.

“You,” Supergirl said with a humorously accusatory tone, “threatened to sic your lawyers on my boss if he didn’t drop it.”

Simply, Lena shrugged, and said, “Just trying in my own small way to be like Supergirl.” After Supergirl had entirely risked herself to save her, how could Lena just let the Director chew her out? She looked at the floor as she swayed on her heels for a moment. “Thank you for everything, honestly.”

“Just doing my job,” Supergirl insisted.

“Funny, I don’t remember hearing the weekly news reports about Supergirl kidnapping women from their offices.”

Supergirl groaned, planting her face into her palm. “ _Please_ , let me live that down. I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. I got some adventure instead of listening to boring men all day while drinking myself to death in my office, so…” Lena shook her head and waved to the looming building in front of them. “Feel free to pop in whenever you want.”

“I… Hope this isn’t the last time we talk?”

“I hope not,” Lena confirmed, which made Supergirl meet her eyes and smile. “I do have to sign a bunch of papers because of you, don’t just leave me with paperwork and disappear, Supergirl.”

This made Supergirl laugh. “Okay, okay,” She held her hands up as a sign of surrender, “So, I’ll see you again, Miss Luthor?”

Lena nodded slowly. “I’d like that, Supergirl.”

With a final smile towards her, Supergirl nodded and lifted off. Lena watched the superhero fly off into the dark sky, backlit by the moon, until she lost track of her. Finally, after a moment of just looking at the empty sky, Lena went inside her company.

She gave a short nod towards the security guard in the main lobby, who waved at her in return, and she went for the elevator. She could not imagine how many emails and phone calls she was going to have to make to clear the whole mess up.

 _God_.

The elevator opened on the top floor with a welcoming ding, so Lena stepped out with her office as her destination.

“Lena!”

Lena heard the voice before she saw the woman who said it, and yet she knew who it was. All of the stress still left in her seemed to melt at the sound, and she wanted to see her, immediately. Her head turned, so she could peer into the dark office lit up only by the light of a laptop screen and a dim lamp, and she said, “You’re here…” It was the early hours of the morning, the sun would probably be coming up soon, and yet there was Kara Danvers. “It’s so late.”

Kara stood without a word, and came from her office, a soft smile on her that reached her eyes. “Alex—Agent Danvers told me you’d been cleared. And, I figured work would be the first place you went.” She explained with a knowing laugh at Lena’s workaholic behavior, and she added with so much truth to her voice Lena was not quite sure what to do, “I told you you’d be okay.”

Whoever started it, Lena wasn’t sure— she figured it might have been the both of them, but the next thing Lena knew she and Kara were hugging in the hallway to her office. Kara’s arms were strong around her, she noticed, holding her like she would not have accepted anything other than Lena being innocent, like she would have gone to the ends of the Earth to prove Lena was innocent if Supergirl hadn’t.

Lena couldn’t understand it.

Lena couldn’t understand Kara Danvers.

But, Kara was so tightly holding onto her, and she was warm. So much so, that it was far from human.

Eventually, despite her will not to, Lena let go of Kara and stood back with a nervous laugh of her own, and part of her was sure she had picked it up from Kara. “I’m sorry,” She immediately apologized, with a shake of her head. The last thing she meant was to be unprofessional, but Kara was her employee, and even if Kara had been clinging to her like she was her lifeline, an apology was due.

However, Kara seemed to disagree, because she said, “No, don’t apologize.” She seemed very adamant about this, and she added with a seemingly unintentional pout, “Please.” Kara was so similar to somebody and Lena just could not place it, though Lena tried as she stared at her assistant. “Do you wanna talk, Lena? Tell me about your Supergirl adventures?”

The offer made Lena smile. “Please. Plus, I’d like to ask you some things, as well.”

A grimace crossed Kara’s face, as she lifted her hand up to Lena’s arm like she was going to touch her, but she dropped her hand immediately. She started for Lena’s office, and Lena walked a step behind her. “I guess we should talk about my sister,” Kara said with guilt and shame in her voice, which made Lena feel a twinge of the same guilt.

“Probably,” Lena agreed and held her office doors open for Kara. “I’m not at all annoyed at you for any of this, by the way,” She assured then because the last thing she wanted right then was for Kara to assume she was in trouble for any of that, because her sister was the one trying to arrest Lena.

Relief flashed across Kara’s face, which made Lena glad she had clarified. “That’s good,” She breathed, and she fixed her glasses where they rested on her nose. “I was worried you might be upset.”

“Far from it,” Lena admitted with a dry laugh, “in fact, I don’t think you understand how happy I am to see you.” Lena shut the doors behind them and smiled at Kara.


	5. Kara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Kara talk about Supergirl, the Danvers sisters argue, Morgan Edge is annoying, and Supergirl visits Lena again.

As the two went into Lena’s dark office and Lena hit the light switch, Kara’s eyes had caught notice of the flowers Lena held tightly. Her flowers. With a knowing smile, Kara pointed and commented, “Those are pretty.” 

Lena’s gaze dropped to the bundle in her grip, and her cheeks flushed pink. She met Kara’s eyes but didn’t comment on the plumerias as she set the flowers down on the table in front of her couch gently. Kara just loved the flush of color in her pale face.

“This has been…” Lena began as she sat on her couch, followed quickly by Kara who sat unintentionally closer than necessary, “Perhaps one of the more interesting days I’ve had lately.”

Kara let out a laugh and gave Lena an incredulous look. “Perhaps?” She pressed. Kara was rather sure it was most definitely a more interesting day than others— Being accused of a crime and rescued by Supergirl in a spur of the moment decision was somewhat more interesting than boring old men in meetings.

 The comment drew both a sigh and a smile from Lena. “Alright, definitely the most interesting day I’ve had in a while.” For a moment, she just looked at Kara with that gentle smile, before she rolled her eyes and seemed to be trying to start her story. “ _God_ , Kara…”

 “C’mon,” Kara urged happily. Though she had been there for the entire event, of course, she had a want to hear Lena’s side. She wanted to hear Lena’s thoughts, she wanted to keep seeing that smile Lena gave her. 

“Well, I can most definitely tell you the last thing I ever expected was to have Supergirl come walking into my office,” Lena started as she leaned back onto the couch, getting more comfortable. Kara’s eyes were glued to the way Lena looked up and her eyebrows knit as she thought. “Especially not with the intent to help me. As a Luthor, I’m still having some trouble with the fact Supergirl was so believing in me. Honestly, if she had come with the intent of punching me directly in the face, I would have been less surprised.”

 Which, Kara knew, was reasonable of Lena to assume. Still, she wanted to tell Lena it didn’t matter that she was a Luthor, that her last name was never and would never be something that truly defined her— and, she would tell her that, but for now, she bit her tongue and let Lena keep going.

“But, the next thing I knew, we were flying and she was carrying me—Have I mentioned I’m afraid of flying?” Lena shook her head. “I’m not bothered by many things, but heights and flying, just… In any case, flying with Supergirl is much less, um, scary, if I’m being honest,” Lena admitted, and Kara had to struggle to keep her grin away. “Supergirl is… Strong, and yet gentle, and it’s all rather…” She trailed, but Kara thought she understood well enough.

 “Comforting?” She provided with her grin, and Lena looked at her with an ounce of embarrassment, but she nodded. Kara was satisfied that, despite her fear of flying and heights, Lena had felt safe with her, with Supergirl. That meant a lot to her, strangely enough. 

Lena did not seem to want to comment on the fact she found Supergirl comforting, and so moved on with her story. “She took me somewhere outside the city. This cliff, and I was having a bit of a heart attack by this point, but Supergirl apologized for what she did, and…” She laughed suddenly, her hand covering her mouth. It appeared she had thought of something to tell Kara, and she did a moment later, “Supergirl is ridiculously charming in such a dorky way. She literally took off her cape to lay down for me to sit on. And, then later, she took off my heels for me. And then the flowers… Oh, God.” She laughed again. “It’s hard to not like her.”

“Yeah?” Kara asked in amusement, and she knew her own face was probably somewhat red. She couldn’t help herself with those things, she hadn’t entirely meant to be cheesy or anything, it had just been what she had felt like doing in the moment. But, Lena thought she was hard not to like. Lena liked Supergirl.

 The smile on Lena was more than enough of an answer. “While your friend worked on proving I’m innocent, she took me to some place and showed me her powers. She told me something… Something kind of silly, in a way, but also incredible and I find it so interesting, about heartbeats, my heartbeat, and…” Lena’s gaze was glued to the ceiling, and she had her hands gripped together. She looked like she did not quite believe it had happened. “Supergirl is _beautiful_ , Kara. She’s unbelievably beautiful.” 

 That made Kara’s heart stop for a moment. The way Lena said the words sounded so truly genuine she was sure Lena had not even meant to say them. Lena thought she was beautiful. For some reason, Kara felt oddly happy at the confession. 

“Wait,” Lena said suddenly, and she sat up straighter. Despite her led lined glasses, Kara listened closely, and on cue she heard Lena’s heart spike in that way Kara had begun to appreciate. Kara assumed she was right about Lena not entirely meaning to tell Kara that little detail. She looked Kara dead in the eye and said, “You know her. You know Supergirl.” And, then she groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, embarrassment evident in her tone, “Don’t ever tell her I said any of this. As your boss, I’m ordering you to never utter a word I’ve said.”

 “You don’t have to worry about me telling her,” Kara assured knowingly.

“I do not need to inflate her ego,” Lena shook her head. Kara nearly gave her a look of offense, before she remembered that Lena was not technically talking about her right then. “That pose she does, with her fists on her hips, you can truly feel her ego radiating off of her when she does that.” With a playful wink, Lena added, “As long as we’re on the same page about Supergirl never hearing about this, she definitely has every right to think so highly of herself, but she does not need to know that.” 

Kara was speechless. “I— I, ah, she.” She stopped herself before she could manage to butcher any more words. Maybe talking to Lena was a bad idea, Kara could not control herself around this woman. 

“God, I learned so many new things, too,” Lena said, and Kara adored that spark in her eyes at the mention of knowledge and what she had learned. “I’ve read about Supergirl’s powers in… Well, my brother’s notes on Superman,” She said with shame in her voice, but kept going anyway, “But seeing them up close really just proves how amazing it is. On video is one thing, because you can edit a video as easily as breathing, it seems like, these days. But, when she’s right in front of you with lasers shooting out of her eyes, or punching through metal like it’s nothing? I’m beyond amazed. And, the place your sister works for, Kara, the confirmation that it exists is so— Don’t worry, I know better than to tell anybody about a government agency—but the fact it’s there and they combat specifically aliens is so intriguing. I can’t even imagine the tech they might have.” 

Kara deduced that Lena talking about science was her favorite thing about Lena. The way her eyes shone, and the way she smiled. How she leaned forward ever so slightly towards Kara as she raved, and how if Kara listened closely she could hear Lena’s heart speed up in the slightest. She was just happy when knowledge and intellect was involved. It evoked some emotion in Kara. The way Lena looked was just, somehow, unreasonably cute. 

“Kara,” Lena said suddenly, and the tone of her voice made it clear she had moved on from being playful. Kara quietly looked into her sharp eyes, which held an air of softness at the moment that Kara found enamoring. Lena was fiddling with the hem of her blouse absentmindedly. “May I be honest with you?” 

“Of course,” Kara said immediately, and was glad she managed to say that without making a mistake. “Always, Lena.” 

“Supergirl was wonderful. Everything about her was wonderful.” Lena said, and then sighed, “but the rest of all of this was terrible. I’m exhausted. It just made me think about what my brother did, about him and how I… I miss him. I was just about arrested for murder because of what he did, and yet I still miss him so much, Kara. And, I’m afraid that now all the excitement has died down, I’m only going to be able to think about things like this.” 

Kara felt surprised, and yet she figured she should have expected that. Of course, Lena would be shaken up by the entire situation even if Supergirl had done her best to make her safe and protect her, and even if she had done her best to make Lena smile. “You might,” Kara said sadly, but then she decided to ignore the part of her telling her not to and she held Lena’s hand gently, “But that’s okay. Before you know it you’ll be caught up in one of your experiments instead of any of that and I’ll have to bring you 14 cups of coffee because you’re so into your work you won’t sleep.”

 Lena smiled softly at that.

“And,” Kara added quickly, “I’m here for you. Literally, everyday I’m here for you. So, you don’t gotta think about all of that by yourself.” She smiled reassuringly and gave Lena’s hand a squeeze to punctuate her sentence.

A soft, appreciative laugh came from Lena, but she still looked concerned and she said, “I don’t even want to imagine how much I’m going to have to deal with on the media end of things. I’m almost scared to check my email or my voicemail.” She said it in a joking manner, though Kara knew she truly did not want to handle the fallout. She looked away from Kara as she kept talking, “You know the media loves a good evil Luthor story. Even though I’m innocent I’m quite sure most people won’t be convinced I am.”

“Well, lucky for you,” Kara said lightly, and tugged Lena’s hand a bit to provoke Lena to look at her again. “I’m your assistant and can go through your email and voicemail for you.” 

 “I might just have to ask you to do that tomorrow,” Lena nodded with a lighthearted laugh as if tomorrow wasn’t in a few hours. It really was quite late, Kara realized. “I’m a bit tired of hearing about being a Luthor for the moment.”

“First thing tomorrow,” Kara promised, “I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you,” Lena said softly, and Kara thought it was somewhat sad. Lena was her boss and could make her go through anything she wanted, she had no need to thank her for anything, let alone sound so genuinely thankful for it. Lena truly had not wanted to see what was being said about her right then. This conversation was making Kara understand the whole situation a lot better, she had not thought much of how hard it was past being nervous about being arrested. 

 “Um,” Kara said, because she knew she was going to have to bring it up eventually even though she wanted so desperately not to, “My sister.” She nearly cringed at the statement. Alex had really messed up here, and having to explain her sister to her boss was about the most irritating thing Kara had to do tonight. She had little to no defense for her sister’s actions and she absolutely did not want to try and defend her to Lena for that. 

“Your sister,” Lena prompted, quirking her eyebrow. To Kara’s surprise, she did not look the slightest bit upset. Rather, she looked entertained and curious to hear whatever Kara had to explain.

“My sister is going to get a very firm talking to later,” Kara said simply to start, shaking her head. “I swear, I didn’t know she was going to pull something like that. I knew she was upset with me about… Um…” 

“About working for Lena Luthor?” Lena finished.

“Yeah,” Kara said in shame. But Lena rubbed her thumb across her knuckles in a way that made Kara’s heart stop for a moment, but prompted her to keep talking. “I knew she was angry about that but I thought we had resolved it. And she just kinda recently had a break up that’s been really hard on her. So, like, this job on top of the fact she had that breakup, I think she’s stressed out. This whole crime with the aliens was at a really, really bad time, because she still was upset, and then that happens and you were framed, so she really did probably think it was you, but I mean, it probably didn’t help that she was already angry and on edge with you, so I think she tried to go as far as she could and I just—“

 “Breathe for a second, Kara,” Lena halted her rambling gently, and Kara smiled with nervous appreciativeness at it.

She did just that, and took in a deep breath that filled her lungs tightly for a moment before she exhaled and went on more slowly. “Anyway, I just… I’m really sorry, Lena. I’m going to talk to her about all… This.” Kara did feel guilty on behalf of her sister. “And if you don’t trust me because of this I understand and I really am sorry.” Kara wouldn’t trust herself, either. Finding out your assistant is related to the government and Supergirl who overall do not trust you is probably a bad sign.

 To Kara’s fear, Lena did not answer immediately. Instead, she was gazing at Kara with that careful, studying expression of hers as they held hands, still. Lena seemed to have taken to playing with Kara’s fingers like she had fiddled with her dress, and Kara had absolutely no intention of ever pulling away. But, Lena’s gaze was troubling her, with the added silence. Eventually, Lena just sighed softly and seemed to have decided on her words. “As Lena Luthor,” She started, “I’m uncomfortably used to being… Attacked, betrayed. My brother has sent people to kill me before, and I wouldn’t be shocked if that was what this whole thing was, and overall the people of the world aren’t huge fans of me. So, I can tell you with quite honesty, I don’t trust over half of the people working for me in this very building.”

 That didn’t seem good for Kara. She was nearly prepared to be fired, or something, because Lena didn’t trust Kara enough for her to be her assistant.

“One of my scientists could very well decide to steal my research, or even decide to stab me when I go into one of the labs,” Lena told Kara easily, and Kara felt uneasy that Lena was used to and prepared for that, “The man at the coffee cart outside could make me coffee with a smile on his face one day and have a gun to my head the next day. Save for Jess, every one of my past assistants has tried to kill me.” 

“I… I’m sorry, Lena,” Kara stuttered out. She hadn’t ever though about that before. Lena’s staff all seemed nice enough to her. But, now that Lena had said it, she remembered seeing news headlines about Lena Luthor being nearly shot in her own office.

But, Lena just shook her head. “My point is, Kara,” She continued on, and that fire in her eyes softened a bit, “I’m… Surprised by how much I trust you.”

“What? Kara asked, surprised.

“I’m… Not particularly surprised when something happens with one of my employees and myself. But, I…” Lena’s gaze broke away from Kara’s. “I was scared that you were going to think I was guilty, too, and hate me. I was honestly frightened of that more than anything else right then, and I don’t know why, and I’m confused by that, but… When I called you, and you said you believed in me, I felt… Reassured. Relieved. You and Supergirl both made me feel like I was actually going to get out of it, and you gave me… Well, you gave me some hope.”

Kara was truly, truly taken aback by those words. Lena was worried about Kara thinking she was guilty. No, she was scared of that, she said.

“So, what I mean is,” Lena said in a bit of a louder, quicker tone like she had not entirely meant to say as much as she did, and was desperate to get Kara’s mind off of it. “I’m not upset in the slightest about your sister, or the fact you know a government agent and a superhero. I’m praying to any god who will listen that I’m not making a mistake in doing so, but I honestly trust you. And, I mean, I know quite well what it’s like to be judged on a sibling’s actions, I think it would be hypocritical of me to be mad at you for your sister’s beliefs on me. So, just… _Thank_ you, Kara.”

“I…” Kara was honestly somewhat speechless. She had fully been expecting Lena to be at least a little upset about it, but here she was thanking her. “Lena, of course I believe in you,” She said, trying to get her thoughts together, “I’ve told you before I don’t think you could be bad if you tried.” Kara just wanted to hug Lena again, though she knew Lena was her boss, but on the other hand, she wasn’t working right now. Being Supergirl left Kara a little bit starved to be near Lena in a way that wasn’t employee-boss and the longing confused her. 

“I mean it, Kara.” Lena assured her with a tone that meant it was definitely final.  

A relieved, embarrassed sigh came from Kara. “Thank you so much, Lena.” She said gratefully. Lena was not mad at her, at all. She was going to get to keep her job, and more importantly, she was going to get to keep seeing Lena every day, she was going to keep getting her coffee and making her try new things.

 ”I’m a little bit shocked to find out my assistant is close to the government and Supergirl, I’ll admit,” Lena said with tease in her tone as she shrugged simply. “And I would... Love to hear about them, Supergirl especially, if you would want to tell me. I won’t ask as your boss, considering that seems like use of my power that’s a bit too far since it has to do with your personal life. So, only if you want to.”

The next words to come out of Kara’s mouth surprised herself and yet were completely real, “As your friend and not your assistant, I would love to tell you about my sister and Supergirl.” She felt her own heart pick up at her own words, and felt a flash of anxiety at how Lena would take them.

Lena looked like she was not sure how to feel. Her eyes were somewhat wide, her lips were parted ever so slightly, stuck like she wanted to say something. She blinked a bit more than needed for a moment, before her expression melted into a warm smile and she asked shyly, to Kara’s amusement, “Friend?” 

“Uh, yeah,” Kara grinned hopefully and shrugged. “Sorry if that’s… Too much.” 

But Lena only smiled wider and shook her head. “No, not… Not too much.” She said too quickly, which gave away her obvious nerves. And, Kara had never imagined she would feel so genuinely happy that she had applied to L-Corp, but Lena Luthor was someone insanely special.

 Just as jittery as Lena, Kara said, “Cool! I mean,” She cleared her throat, “Uh, sorry.” 

Lena laughed lowly at her for a moment, before she asked slowly and with guilt evident in her tone, “Will you and your sister be alright?” She had taken to fiddling with Kara’s hand again and Kara’s stomach felt light. “I really feel bad for causing the two of you to argue, and I really don’t want you to have more problems because of me, Kara.” 

“Don’t even worry about it,” Kara assured her, truthfully. Lena asking and sounding genuinely troubled over it was sweet, honestly. “Alex is… Kinda hotheaded and stubborn. She’s been having kinda a rough time right now, she and her girlfriend split and then I got hired here, and she just worries too much… But, she’s my closest friend. We’ll work it out, she’ll calm down.”

 “I hope so,” Lena offered a soft smile. “If there’s ever anything I can do to help with it, let me know. I owe you one for giving me some form of hope today , after all.” Then, that teasing tone she sometimes had became evident and she said, “I’m not sure how much money being thrown at your sister will help, but if that’s what’s needed, I happen to be a multibillionaire.”

This drew a real laugh from Kara, and she honestly laughed far more than she should have because it was not that funny. Kara wanted to mentally slap herself for that; why on Earth could she not control herself around this woman? “No money is necessary,” She said with a wave of her hand as she forced her laughter to halt, “I’ll get through to her, I’m sure of that. She didn’t like me probably as much as she doesn’t like you when I first got adopted, if she came around to my embarrassing self when she was a bratty teenager, she’ll come around to you now. Trust me, you’re much more bearable than teenager-me.”

Interest peaked, Lena shifted so that her elbow rest on the back of the couch and her head rested on her palm, and her body was angled even more towards Kara. “Oh?” She asked teasingly, “It’s hard to imagine you could have been anything but entirely loveable as a teenager.” 

“I caused more than a couple fires around the house on accident,” Kara told her with a guilty laugh. She had not known how to control her heat vision for a while, which caused some problems with the more flammable surfaces of the Danvers household. “And I broke a lot of stuff accidentally. I was kind of a big mess. It’s a miracle Alex loves me after that, I think her bedroom wall at the Danvers’s house still has a hole in it behind a poster from me.” 

Regardless of Kara’s own guilty feeling at the memories—No matter how many times Eliza assured her it was okay, it never felt okay—, Lena looked undeniably amused by what she had been told. Lena looking genuinely happy made Kara’s embarrassing stories worth it. 

“I’m definitely going to need to her more of your stories,” Lena told her, “with details added into them. But, um…” She looked at Kara with apology, “You should go home, Kara. It’s going to be morning in just a few hours, I honestly can’t believe you came here at this hour in the first place. I don’t want to cause you trouble.”

“Of course I came here,” Kara said with a shrug and a smile, “I wasn’t just going to go get any sleep knowing you were in danger, Lena. But, you do need to go home and sleep after everything you’ve gone through. You’re not gonna sit up here and work the second I leave, right?” 

“No,” Lena said, but Kara just gave her an unbelieving look until she sighed and rolled her eyes, “Okay, yes, I was planning on it… I’ll go home, don’t worry.” 

“Good,” Kara said brightly, “You can’t push yourself too hard, Lena.” She truly did not want to leave. She did not want to leave Lena alone, and she did not want to stop spending time with her, but… Lena really did need to get some rest. And, she supposed, she did too, considering she was going to have to deal with Alex. “Go home and sleep.” With that said, she stood up, followed immediately by Lena.

For a second, the both of them just looked at each other, like each was silently trying to ask permission. With a final thought of screw it, Kara stepped forward and took Lena into another hug, which Lena reciprocated before Kara even completely had her arms around her. Kara held her tightly, as she took in everything about Lena; how she felt in her arms, and how her heartbeat picked up both times they hugged, how she knew Lena was smiling even though she could not see her face. 

All Kara wanted was to protect Lena. She was perfect.

“Goodnight, Kara,” Lena told her quietly before they even let go of one another.

“Night, Lena,” Kara responded when they finally stepped back from one another, despite the fact Kara wanted nothing more than to just stay there with her. “See ya in the morning.”

“Come in later than usual,” Lena told her when she was halfway out the door. “Sleep in.”

Kara gave her a skeptical look, and teased, “You’re the one who really needs to sleep in.” But, Lena just rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively, so Kara gave her a parting smile and let the door shut behind her.

 —

Her quaint apartment felt very welcoming to Kara right then. She locked the door, and went to her bedroom, where she all but flung herself across the room onto her bed. She felt her body relax as she pulled a loose blanket over herself and stared up at the blank ceiling.

Kara had left Lena’s office feeling a few different ways. 

Firstly, she was relieved that everything had worked out entirely okay in the end, and she had been able to save Lena. She had risked quite a lot, but she had been right in her boss being completely innocent, and so she had saved that wonderful woman the trouble of being harassed in an interrogation room by her sister. Alex was definitely many things, but she was not entirely professional when it came to interrogations, especially when she had personal vendetta. Lena deserved the world, not Alex making her feel more awful than she already did. 

Secondly, Kara had made a good impression on Lena as Supergirl and that made her feel more happy than she cared to admit. Lena called her beautiful. Lena thought she was heroic, strong, dorky, caring, and beautiful. Kara thought she might perish if she heard anything else Lena had to say about her other half. 

Thirdly, Kara had hugged Lena. Twice, now. The first time she was not thinking at all— She had just seen Lena, and since she was not Supergirl then, her instinct had been to take the woman into the tightest hug she could and remind Lena she was safe. For the briefest second, she had felt panic rise, for fear that Lena would get irritated at the embrace. But, Lena had melted into the hug nearly the exact second they were in each other’s arms, and if Kara didn’t know better, she might say Lena had initiated it as much as she had. All Kara felt then was relief and happiness, and Lena was so soft in her hold, a strong contrast to her own firm muscles and strong grip, and it was unbelievably endearing to Kara. She wanted to hold Lena forever.

_No_ , She cursed herself silently as she pulled her blanket over her face and reminded herself, _she’s your boss_. She should absolutely not, under any circumstances, think about Lena Luthor in any way other than as her boss. But, she couldn’t quite help herself, and when Lena had seemed honestly thrilled Kara had called her friend, Kara knew she wanted nothing less than to be exactly that. Lena’s friend. 

 Kara fell asleep thinking of Lena, feeling very conflicted and confused.

When the morning came, Kara’s first thought was of Lena. Which, then, led to the immediate memory of what Alex and her needed to talk about. She gave a heavy sigh, but picked up her phone from her nightstand.

_**Kara** : We need to talk. Now. _

That text had been sent with absolutely no hesitation or background, and it seemed that none was needed, because within the hour Alex was knocking on the door to Kara’s apartment somewhat angrily. Kara could see her with her x-ray vision, a glare glued to her face, and she could hear Alex’s heartbeat and knew it well enough to tell she was still mad. 

With a heavy sigh, Kara opened the door wide enough for Alex to come in and waved her arm instead of saying anything. Alex came in, her arms crossed, and Kara shut the door behind her. She looked at Alex, but neither of them said anything at first. The silence was loud and Kara was sure she could have physically punched the tension between them. 

She loved Alex so, so much. But this whole thing with Lena was too far, and Kara was sure that even Alex herself had to know that. Alex was smart, she had to know that she made a mistake and took things out of hand. 

And, yet, the words that came out of Alex’s mouth when she finally, begrudgingly, spoke were, “You don’t understand anything that’s happening.” She dropped her arms from being crossed in order to make an accusatory gesture towards Kara, as she continued with steel in her voice, “I’m trying to protect you from that woman, and you just decide that you can interfere in my job and the _law_ to help her? What you did was irresponsible, Kara.“

Kara was taken aback, and she immediately gaped and glared at Alex. “Excuse me?” She asked loudly, “You’re seriously blaming me?” 

“Yes,” Alex said with haste, “I had a warrant for her arrest. J’onn approved of it, even.” She took a step towards Kara that was a silent threat above anything else, meant to be intimidating. If Kara had been anyone other than Supergirl, she would have been intimidated, but instead she was just annoyed Alex thought she could try that. “You helped a criminal escape the government, Kara.” 

“What— Are you serious?” Kara was baffled. “The whole conclusion of that was Lena being proved innocent, because guess what, Alex? She’s innocent! She’s not a criminal!” 

“Maybe.” Alex said with a halfhearted shrug. “Just because she was supposedly proven innocent in this, doesn’t mean she’s not sitting up in that tower of hers right now planning something. Hell, for all we know, she could have pulled the whole thing on purpose, I don’t know.”

“Why would she do that?” Kara asked in annoyance.

“You tell me,” Alex retorted, “since you’re the one who’s so fond of the Luthor. Seriously, what the hell were you thinking? Would you seriously risk getting in trouble for a Luthor, Kara?!”

With no hesitation, Kara said in nearly a yell, “Yes, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, because you were wrong, and Lena hasn’t done anything wrong!” 

“You don’t know that, Kara.”

“And you do?”

“Yes,” Alex said easily, “Because I’m trying to protect you, and you’re just being stubborn because you think she’s been nice to you, so that means she must be perfect—“

“I don’t like her just because she’s been nice to me,” Kara defended herself. “Lena’s just a good person, and you can’t give me any proof that she has any bad intentions with anything. She’s not just nice to me. She... She rebuilt her whole company to make it good, she tries to treat everyone with respect even when she doesn’t like them which is more than you can say apparently, she funded a whole children’s hospital, for Rao’s sake.”

 “Okay, and?” Alex asked like none of that made an ounce of difference in the world, when in reality those were things that Kara had been impressed by even before she met Lena. Kara was baffled. “Lex Luthor and your cousin were friends. Lex Luthor was brilliant and could have done so much for the world. Nobody expected that rich kid to go crazy, but then he tried to, sorry if you forgot, give the earth a red sun and murder your cousin! He’s kidnapped James on multiple occasions, kidnapped Lois, tortured Clark, killed thousands of innocent people. And nobody had expected a thing!” 

“Lex is terrible. I get that,” Kara tried desperately. She knew how bad Lex was, she was not oblivious to the horrors he had committed. She was not blind to all the fraught he caused everyone, her own friends and family included, and she was well aware that her own cousin was his prime target. “But Lena is not Lex. Lena feels guilty for what he’s done, she’s ashamed of what he’s done. Lena is not Lex.”

“You’re going to regret that when she tries to kill you one of these days,” Alex said coldly, and with so much clarity and ice in her voice she made it sound like a fact. She said when, not if.  

Yes, Kara was furious by this point, hands down. How was she supposed to reason when Alex was so harshly set? At a loss for words, Kara snapped and said more loudly than intended, “I’m not going to let you keep making me feel like I’m _goddamn_ _stupid_ and _bad_ for trusting her, Alex!” 

The silence was heavy after those specific words left Kara’s mouth in that furious tone. Kara pursed her lips as she and Alex just stared at each other silently. Kara was not one to curse, or yell for that matter, but Alex was relentless, and she couldn’t help it. 

After what felt like a forever of heavy silence, but really must have only been seconds, Alex looked like she was struggling for words. Her eyebrows had loosened from their tight furrow, her eyes had lost some of their fire. “I...” She mumbled softly, and then she just said, “I wasn’t trying to make you feel like that, Kara.” 

“Well, you did,” Kara said in exasperation. “I know you don’t like her but you don’t have any right to act like I’m dumb because I’m her _friend_. I...” She crossed her arms tightly and stared at the floor, and she said quietly, “It kinda sucks to hear you saying she can’t be good just because her family did some awful things. You know what my parents did, do you think I’m gonna be like them?”

Kara had found out just a while before that her parents had not been as high and mighty as she thought. She had always held her birth parents on a pedestal, she had always thought they were perfect. Yet, her Mother damned innocent people into an eternity of imprisonment in Fort Rozz and the Phantom Zone. Her Father had created a virus to keep anybody save for Kryptonians from coming onto Krypton by killing them. 

 This is what seemed to strike a chord in Alex. Alex’s eyes completely lost that fire as they went wider with remembrance, her stance lost its confidence, and she seemed suddenly a bit more understanding. “Kara, I didn’t mean...” She said lamely, “I didn’t... Of course I don’t think you’re bad because of them.”

“So, what’s the difference between Lena and me?” Kara interrogated, because she seriously could not comprehend it. 

 Alex just looked at her, lost.

“There isn’t any,” Kara answered for her. Alex wasn’t yelling at her now. That was good, she was close. She pressed on, “Either you don’t judge either of us on our family’s merits or you judge both of us. You don’t get to pick and choose like that. It’s the same situation. 

Alex looked like she was about to argue, and so Kara cut her off. 

“And, don’t even try to say that it’s different because you know I wouldn’t ever do something like that,” Kara told her before she could even try to say it, “Because you don’t even know her, Alex, you haven’t ever tried to know her, so you have no idea what she’s actually like.” 

“Kara...”

“It kinda hurts, Alex, I’m not gonna lie,” Kara told her truthfully, sadly, “and you’re my sister and I love you and I don’t know why you won’t just trust me. At the very least, don’t be mad at me for trusting Lena. You don’t have to get to know her, but you don’t have to hate her, either.”

Alex has drawn in on herself slightly. Her arms were folded around her waist, and all of the anger had melted away and she just looked guilty. Finally, after a moment of heavy silence, she said to Kara, “...I’m sorry.” She sighed heavily. “You’re right. You’re right, I... I’m taking it too far.” 

 With a sigh of relief, Kara smiled sadly, “Yeah, little bit, sis.”

“I’m sorry I made you feel like that,” Alex apologized quietly, and Kara could feel in her voice that she was being honest. She truly did feel sorry. 

So, Kara tried to make her smile happier, and she offered with attempted tease in her tone, “Hug? I miss my sister not being mad at me.” 

With a short smile, Alex stepped forward, much less threateningly this time. Kara pulled her into a tight hug, which Alex reciprocated gladly, and Kara melted contentedly into the embrace.  

“Please, give her a chance?” Kara asked quietly as she clung to Alex. She felt Alex stiffen, so she added, “When you’ve calmed down. Thank you for trying to look out for me, but... A little less would be good.”

Alex laughed a small bit. She hesitated, but said, “I’ll try.” 

Feeling truly happy in her heart, Kara drew back from the hug with a real smile. “Thank you,” She said, and shrugged, “I really think you would get along. She’s, like, as big of a nerd as you are. If not more. I could listen to her talk about science for hours.” 

Alex offered a laugh, before she crossed her arms again and got a hesitant look on her face that gave Kara some anxiety. “Something that bothered me,” Alex admitted, looking at Kara curiously, “is that you... You sound a little fond of Lena.”

Dumbly, Kara just gave Alex a confused look. “Well, yeah, she’s my friend. And my boss, but, also— you know what I mean.” 

Alex pursed her lips tightly and asked with some of that protective irritation coming back into her voice, “Are you and her, like... You know?” 

Kara blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?” 

“Nothing. Nevermind,” Alex shook her head with haste, but Kara saw she looked somewhat relieved, which just egged on her own confusion. “Forget about it.” 

“Okay?” 

“Kara?”

“Yeah, Alex?”

 “Just so we’re clear, I might’ve agreed to getting to know Lena,” Alex said firmly and pointedly, “but don’t get any ideas about inviting her and me both for dinner or something. It ain’t happening anytime soon. Don’t push your luck.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay,” She agreed sourly, but jokingly so. “Whatever you say. Just stop being rude about her around me, cool?”

With a sigh, Alex agreed.

For the first time that morning, Kara truly, genuinely smiled in a way that wasn’t forced at all. That was a step forward. Alex might still not like Lena, but she understood she was hurting Kara, so that had to be good. She had lost most of that anger in her eyes. 

Things were looking up for the Danvers sisters.

—

The sun was coming up, and so Lena’s office was still dark and yet marked with stunning reds and oranges, while she decisively poured herself a drink. After the experience she had, Lena had earned the right to a nice glass of wine, she reasoned as she watched the red liquid pool in the glass. 

Kara Danvers was undeniably special. For some reason, this was only further proven to her by the accusation and Supergirl debacle, though she was struggling to figure out why that had to be. Perhaps it was simply the now known fact Kara was related to an agent of a secret organization who happened to despise Lena, or maybe it was the fact Kara knew Supergirl, of all people. Something about her geeky assistant being tied in with those types of people seemed fishy, especially when she put it together with all of the other strange things about Kara.

Lena was positive there was more to it. There had to be more to this Supergirl, Agent Danvers, DEO, and Kara situation. 

Oddly enough, the surprise visit from Supergirl also gave her a new idea on how to further her investigation on Kara. Lena’s eyes were glued to her closed laptop, her lips pursed, as she reasoned with herself.  


On one hand, it felt like it may be an invasion of Kara’s privacy. On the other hand, Lena owned this building and every room, corner, and simple particle of dust in it. Therefore, she had a right to know and see exactly what happened within her building. 

Not to mention, she was simply thoroughly desperate to get further with her research on this woman.  


Lena took a rather savory drink of her wine, and set the glass down on her desk. She sat straight, then, and made her decision. With a small ounce of worry, Lena opened up her laptop and typed in her reasonably long password. Once it unlocked, she opened up the footage for every single security camera in her building and watched the current feeds for a moment.  


Because Lena did have an ounce of respect, there was no camera inside of Kara’s office. Which, greatly deterred her investigation, but the reasonable part of her knew that was better than bugging and recording Kara’s sunshine-y office. 

 Lena clicked on the feed for her hallway, and it popped up in full screen. She hit the rewind button until the date of the video was from a couple days before, and she hit play just as the elevator opened. She watched with a hint of adoration as Kara more or less stumbled out of the elevator with a cup of coffee in hand for Lena. She went to the doors to Lena’s office, and because of the camera’s angle she could not see Kara’s face, yet she just knew she had to have that brilliant smile, and the thought of it made Lena smile, too. Kara disappeared into her office a second later.  


Nothing at all suspicious there, at least. A hint of disappointment flashed through Lena, but it was only one clip, she reminded herself, amongst weeks of video. So, with some haste, she rewinded even further, and pressed pause yet again as Kara was tripping out of the elevator. This time, however, Kara was standing outside of Lena’s office, waiting rather than going inside. Lena remembered this day, she had been rather irritated and taken far too long to come out for Kara who was waiting, but Kara had immediately cheered her up.

After a few minutes, Lena had an urge to apologize to Kara. She had not realized how long Kara had been waiting for her that day, but the minutes passed and Kara was still standing there, and every once in a while her eyes would flit around to look at the empty hall.  

But then, something odd happened.  

Kara focused on the cup of coffee she had gotten for Lena, and Lena suddenly felt somewhat distressed because she could not see Kara’s face from the camera’s angle. Kara peeled the lid off of Lena’s coffee, held it close to her face where Lena could not see it, and then put the lid back on. 

 That was strange, in Lena’s opinion. Although it was nothing blatantly wrong or shocking, it was not expected.

15 minutes later, Kara did the same thing again, and two minutes later Lena had come out of her office to join Kara.

Whatever this discovery was, it inspired Lena to keep looking through security footage for Kara. It only made her positive that there would be something, anything.

After some hours of looking through security footage from different parts of her building, Lena had found a few things that seemed off. A few things that she did not completely understand nor was she able to put logic behind entirely.

First off, whatever was happening with the coffee was a frequent occurrence when Lena was not quick about leaving her office. Each time, though, Kara was angled just right so Lena could not see her face or the cup when she held it up. It was frustrating.  


Secondly, Kara would frequently seem to be talking to herself. She would be in a hallway, or in the elevator, and suddenly she would get this look of concentration and her lips would start moving. However, Lena was not a professional lip-reader, and Kara seemed to try her best at keeping her head down when she did this, so it was only when Lena got lucky that she looked up and a camera caught her talking to empty air.  


The third thing tied into the second. Typically when Kara would talk to empty space, a moment later she would run like her life was on the line. She would run, Lena followed different cameras down halls to keep track of her, and Lena watched her disappear into a bathroom or vacant room. Lena also noticed that when this happened, Kara did not reemerge from the rooms quickly at all. It went anywhere from 5 minutes to 40, and when Kara finally did stumble back out of the rooms, her hair was a tad messy and she would be adjusting her clothes and glasses.

Yet, somehow Kara managed to dodge cameras when she disappeared into those rooms. Obviously there were no cameras in the bathrooms, and somehow she chose rooms without cameras to bolt into. So, Lena was left with more questions than answers, and she was frustrated beyond belief.

One part of her brain tried to think of logical reasons for these instances. Perhaps Kara simply had a habit of checking the coffee she ordered to make sure it was alright for her boss. Maybe she wasn’t talking to herself or anyone but rather lip-syncing a song stuck in her head— Kara definitely seemed the type. There was always a chance she just didn’t take no-running in hallways rules very seriously and maybe she just got caught up with her phone or something when she went into different rooms. 

But the other part of her knew that was not it. It was not that simple, something fishy was going on and these tapes only proved it.  


As strange as all these things were, Lena kept hunting for more. Anything, everything. With a hint of cautiousness, she clicked to the recording from just a few hours ago. She watched Kara leave her office, a spare glance being given over her shoulder until the door slammed, and she went into the elevator. Lena rewinded some more, until before the two had spoken in Lena’s office. 

 She watched the recording of their shared, too-long hug and felt the heat rise to her face. She and Kara were truly clinging to one another like their lives depended on it, like if either let go then one of them would drown. That funny feeling she got when she was near Kara rose in her stomach and she immediately rewinded further.  


Only, she noticed Kara never showed up. Lena rewinded through hours of video of the hallway before she realized that Kara had never come through the elevator and hallway to get to her office. She was never in the hallway at all until their hug. 

Eyebrows furrowed, Lena leaned closer to her computer, focused strongly on this empty hallway. Curious, she rewound to just before she was taken by Supergirl.

Kara left her office, papers in hand, and went into the elevator. Lena switched the camera feed to the one in the elevator just in time to see Kara doing that thing, talking to nobody or herself or both. When the door opened, Kara did that other thing— she started running. Lena switched cameras to follow her— Kara ran to the lab to give the scientists Lena’s papers, and the next second she was running down the hall again until she disappeared into an empty room.  


Lena kept the feed from that camera displayed, and she hesitantly upped the speed for it to forward. The hours zipped by on the screen, and soon enough Lena got to the live feed.  


Kara never left that room. Kara never came through the elevator to her office. Yet, Kara had gone into that room and come out of her office as if she had a portal in between them. 

This could not be right. 

Something had to be wrong with the cameras—a glitch in the feed, perhaps—a looped video, maybe—something. Lena tried to make herself think that there was a logical explanation for it, tried to blame the technology, but there was no possible way she could convince herself of that.

Lena switched back and rewinded to the shared hug between them not an hour before, and she paused. She leaned back in her chair as she stared at the still image of the blonde woman holding her so strongly. Idly, she retrieved her wine glass and took a drink. Something was different...Strange...Unique...Alien about Kara Danvers. 

“Who the hell are you, Kara Danvers?” She spoke out loud, as if she thought maybe the woman could hear her, impossible as it may be. 

She was close. For whatever reason, Lena knew she was close to something, close to a breakthrough, close to finding whatever it was Kara Danvers was hiding. There was just some missing piece, perhaps the final piece of the whole puzzle. Something needed to click, Lena knew, and she would be there. 

_“Lena,”_ Kara’s voice came through the paging device on her desk and Lena jumped, nearly spilling her drink. 

Collecting herself, Lena hit the button and responded coolly, “Yes, Kara?”

Kara hesitated for a moment, before she said with carefulness, _“There’s a man on the phone who wants to speak with you,”_ Her careful voice sounded truly spiteful as she said quietly, voice muffled through the device, _“His name is Morgan Edge. Would you like me to tell him you’re unavailable, since you have that meeting very soon?”_

Lena found this interesting. Kara’s tone made it clear to Lena she was trying to provide Lena a way out if she did not want to see Morgan Edge; she knew as well as Lena did she had no meeting until the afternoon. Lena racked her brain, trying to think of when she had mentioned Edge to Kara, to think of anything that would tell her how Kara knew anything of Edge to the point she was trying to help Lena out of it. 

“I have some time before then. Patch him to me.” Lena said instead of denying him entry or calling out Kara for the obvious lie. 

She swore she heard Kara sigh, but she hesitantly said, _“Alright, Lena.”_

A moment later, Lena was holding the phone to hear ear and the familiar, irritating voice of Morgan Edge came through.

_“Lena Luthor,”_ He greeted in his gravely, arrogant voice that Lena truly despised.

 “Morgan Edge,” She responded all the same, keeping her practiced calm, CEO tone she reserved especially for men like him. “How can I help you?”

_“Have you considered my offer?”_ He asked with a chilly calmness.

With a quirk of her eyebrow, Lena answered simply, “There was nothing to consider, Mr. Edge.” She heard him breathe in abruptly, clearly already dissatisfied with the answer. Still, she continued, “The fact of the matter is, regardless of how much money you throw at this company and regardless of how much the board wants me gone, I still have more money than you and them combined. I’ll not be accepting your offer anytime soon, Mr. Edge.”

_“I’m going to have to suggest you reconsider,”_ Edge said lowly. _“If you’re so smart, surely you can see how unfit you are to be running this place… If you really care about the company, turn it over to someone who can make it great.”_

 Lena nearly laughed, the statement was so ridiculous. “You’re a real estate man, Edge. There’s plenty of this city that needs to be rebuilt or strengthened after all the alien attacks as of late, and I know you do great work, why not focus on that rather than your strange obsession with me? You do not need L-Corp just as L-Corp definitely does not need you.” 

With a low chuckle, Edge told her like it was obvious, “ _You own half the buildings in this city, Lena, it’s about more than just L-Corp.”_

“Oh, so you only want to tear down my buildings or make them into whatever you see fit?” Lena stated, “You’re definitely not helping me change my mind. And, it’s Miss Luthor, to you. Not Lena. You’re very close to having me hang up, and we very certainly are not friends, Mr. Edge.”

_“Miss Luthor,”_ Edge repeated dryly, before smiling. _“that’s another good point. Lena Luthor. Surely, the company would thrive much more than it is when the person running it has the last name Luthor. I saw the news, Lena,”_ He accentuated her name pointedly to irritate her, “ _You blew up all those aliens. I can’t imagine what those aliens must have felt before they died. I mean… Wouldn’t it be awful if something like that happened to you?”_

Scoffing, Lena sat up straighter in her chair and said sharply into the phone, “Is that a threat, Edge?” 

_“I’m simply asking you reconsider my offer,”_ Morgan Edge said with finality, the thinly veiled threat evident in his voice. _“Lena Luthor.”_

With that, the line went dead, and Lena gladly put the phone down. She sighed exasperatedly, and poured herself another glass of wine. 

_“Everything okay, Lena?”_ Kara’s voice came through the pager.

She held down the button to briefly assure, “Yes, thank you.”  

 _“Want me to ‘accidentally’ put his number on the block list?_ ” Kara asked with a serious yet joking tone. 

Lena honestly laughed a little at it. Kara knew how to make her feel better, as strange as it was. “I would definitely want you to, but… Unfortunately he would still find his ways to bother me.” She went silent for a moment, before she hit the button again and said, “Go get us both breakfast, Kara? Your pick of what. We can eat out on my balcony.”

_“Sure!”_ Kara said eagerly.

“Actually, one thing. No donuts, Kara.” Lena ordered.

_ “That’s breakfast food, though!”  _

“So is just about every other food in your eyes,” Lena countered, “You did tell me once you ate two tubs of ice cream for dinner.”

Lena heard that sweet laugh through the device, before Kara gave in, _“Okay, fine, no donuts. And, it was three tubs, not two, and I’ve done it way more than once. It’s totally healthy. I’ll be back in a jiffy!”_

A jiffy. Lena had to laugh a little at her assistant’s choice of words. Kara was something else. 

 — 

Just as the sun was going down, Kara’s phone rang. The cheerful, bright tune startled her, but she managed to fumble with her pant pocket until she pulled the device out and was able to see the screen. The caller ID read Winn Schott, and Kara gladly swiped right to answer it. She held it up to her ear.

“Hey, Winn,” She greeted happily. “What’s up?”

_“Hey,”_ He parroted with a chipper voice. _“So, like you asked, I got the papers Lena needs to sign. You wanna come over so I can tell you what’s all here?”_

A soft sigh of relief escaped Kara. She was glad Winn was able to get the papers for her; she wanted to go as Supergirl to see Lena and have her sign them. The logical part of her said it was easier on Lena to bring them to her rather than have a bag thrown over her head and be escorted to the DEO, and the sentimental part of her knew she really just wanted to see Lena outside of the confines of employee-boss restrictions again.

 “Thank you, Winn.” She told him gratefully, “I’ll be there in just a minute. Literally.” 

_“Okay, sounds good, I’ll just—“_ Winn nearly dropped his phone as the strong gust of wind from Kara landing in his living room nearly knocked him over, “—be waiting. Guess I won’t be waiting, actually.” With that, he hung up and grinned at Kara, before they both engulfed each other in a friendly, brief hug. 

“That speed is never gonna not be cool,” Winn told her as they drew away.

With a laugh, Kara set her hands on her hips, “I hope not! It’s pretty cool.” She looked around the apartment for the papers she was going to have to have Lena sign, and promoted, “What’ve we got?” 

With a wince, Winn scratched the back of his head. “Alex made sure to make changes to the original contracts. It’s a little, uh, much.” He warned, before he retreated to his bedroom and came back a moment later with a thick pile of papers.

Kara blinked unbelievingly at the stack. “Oh,” She said as she stared at them, “That’s... A lot.”

Nervously, Winn laughed as he set the papers on his coffee table. “It’s mostly just repetitive stuff,” He assured her, and then said, “I put tea on for us. Sit down, I’ll go get it.”

“Yeah, tea. Tea sounds nice.” Kara nodded thankfully as her eyes were still glued to the many papers. Winn headed for his kitchen with a laugh, and Kara headed for the couch. 

The little couch in Winn’s apartment was worn with use and age, but it was still comfortable and Winn’s apartment felt like a home to her. Kara sunk into the couch, and got comfortable. 

“So, how did it go with Scary Danvers?” Winn questioned her as he walked out from the kitchen. He handed Kara her cup, and Kara smiled her thanks.

“I think we’re a little better,” Kara said with some sadness in her voice, “I mean, I know it isn’t great yet. But, I think we’re getting there. You know?” She sipped her tea rather fervently as she waited for the response she wanted to hear.

“Yeah,” Winn shrugged as he sat next to Kara and flipped on his TV. The sound was quiet as it came to life, at a volume that only Kara could possibly hear clearly. “You and Alex are gonna be okay, Kara. Seriously, I’ve never seen siblings with a stronger bond than you. Like, James and his sister don’t even talk, we both know how the Luthor sibling story went down, Pam in HR at the DEO is always telling me about what kind of ‘shenanigans’ her brother has pulled this time.” He grinned at the last part, and Kara chuckled a little. “Alex is stubborn as hell, but she’ll chill. Lena’s cool, I think they could be friends if given, like...Time.”

That was definitely what Kara wanted to hear. With a relieved, soft sigh, she smiled and nodded. “I think so, too,” The thought was a fun one, “they could both probably nerd out together for hours. I think if you and those two were in the same room you could cure cancer.” 

 “Only with your help,” Winn retorted playfully, “you were in the science guild on Krypton, right?”

Kara smiled as a response. “Yeah, I learned physics at an age humans would barely be learning how to write.” 

“That’s so crazy,” He said, and he shook his head and took a drink of his own tea. “If half the people on this planet were as smart as you, we definitely would have cured cancer by this point.” 

“I don’t know about that,” Kara argued instantly in good nature. 

“Nope. Literally, you’re brilliant,” Winn said surely, “if we all had your smarts there would be no problem we couldn’t solve in this world.”

“Sure, sure,” Kara waved him off. She focused, then, on the stack of papers, and with a heavy sigh, she said, “That’s, uh, quite a stack. Guess we should... Get through this, huh?” The thick pile did not look very welcoming to Kara. 

With an equally tired sigh, Winn laughed and shrugged. He pulled the papers from the coffee table and held them so Kara could see as well. “Most of this is just stuff to read,” Winn explained to her, “stipulations, low-key threats, you name it. Basic DEO confidentiality forms mixed with Alex’s own touches.”

Which, Kara instantly noticed, meant there were a lot more of those thinly-veiled threats of arrest and worse if Lena were to expose the DEO to the world. “Rao,” Kara huffed, and she took the papers from Winn to begin flipping through them, “Alex had a field day with these.”

 Winn laughed, and nodded. “She sure did. Um, so, basically, there’s three sections,” He explained to her, and pointed when Kara got to a page with blank lines a few pages in, “Gotta have Lena sign each section. That one is basically saying she can’t talk about the DEO to the media, so, like, a reporter. The second’s, like, she can’t talk about it online, send emails, anything like that. The third says she can’t talk to friends, family, blah blah blah about it.”

 The family part, Kara noticed, was very heavily detailed on behalf of Alex’s understandable hatred and cautiousness of the Luthor name. Kara prickled at that, but simply pursed her lips and made herself relax. 

“All she has to do is sign all of it and she’s all good, yeah?” Kara clarified, as she checked through the different papers that required the signatures.

“Yeah,” Winn nodded, and pointed again to different spots. “Initials in the little spaces and signatures in the big spaces.” He let Kara look, and saw her nod, before he went on, “The last page is, uh, for you to sign.”  

Kara’s eyebrows furrowed as she flipped to the very last page, “Why me?” 

“‘Cause you’re the one who brought her,” Winn informed, “So, it’s basically you acknowledging you brought her into it and you promise on her behalf she won’t do anything against this contract. Basically, it’s there to really enforce it since you probably don’t wanna get in trouble because of her.” 

“That makes sense, I guess,” Kara said in an unsure tone as she stared at it. Indeed, there was a paragraph explaining more or less what Winn said, as well as a spot for her to sign. With a shrug, she smiled and looked at Winn, “No problem. I’ll happily sign that.”

“Cool,” Winn grinned, “then you should be all set.” He picked up his tea and took a drink. “How come you wanted to take them to her yourself, anyway?” He wondered out loud, cradling the teacup in his hands. 

The answer was somewhat simple; she wanted to see Lena as Supergirl again and that was a pretty good excuse. But, to admit that out loud? Kara laughed a bit nervously at the question, but her smile quickly dropped when her hearing caught what was being said on the TV, though, and she looked away from Winn to stare at the bright screen. Unhappy, she ordered her friend, “Turn it up.”

 Compliant, Winn fumbled for the remote and turned it up to a volume they could both hear. 

 A blurry photo was in the corner of the screen, undeniably of Supergirl carrying Lena Luthor across the sky, and the news caption read _SUPERGIRL AIDS TERRORIST LENA LUTHOR._

Kara gawked unbelievably at the screen. How could news outlets find so many ways to twist the story to make Lena look evil, and simultaneously trash Supergirl’s name?

On the TV, the news reporter spoke with that calm tone specific to news anchors. _“Lena Luthor was recently charged with murder after a terroristic attack on an alien refugee center. Our city’s very own hero, Supergirl, aided the Luthor in her escape of the law, and the Luthor has since been dropped of all charges. Why, exactly, remains unclear, though there are many possibilities; was Lena Luthor able to pay the police off, did Supergirl threaten them to drop the charges? In any case, how are we supposed to trust Supergirl when she willingly helped a terrorist? With this recent event, it seems clear that alien citizens of National City are unsafe. Lena Luthor walks free with her anti-alien views, and has National City’s most powerful alien at her beck and call.”_

“Wow, that’s...” Winn gaped at the screen before he muted it before Kara would inevitably lose it. He turned his gaze to Kara with an empathetic look, “That’s definitely not great.”

“Isn’t the news supposed to be truthful?” Kara exclaimed, and set her tea cup down before she could accidentally smash the fragile glass in her palms. “Lena was innocent! And I’m not... At her beck and call like... Like a dog!”

 “The news has always been biased,” Winn offered, “That channel just appears to be very strongly pro-alien, I guess.”

  _“I’m_ literally an alien!” Kara countered. 

With a shrug, Winn said, “Yeah, but an alien working with a Luthor just kinda looks like the Luthor is controlling the alien from most people’s perspective. Or something.”

“It doesn’t even... Make any sense. Gosh, no wonder Lena’s so stressed out all the time, when that’s the kind of media she gets,” Kara said sadly. That was ridiculous, and frankly made her even more upset at her sister for this whole thing, but she tried to keep thoughts of her sister out of it. She was trying to forgive Alex, not fuel the fire.

“I’m... Sure a lot people don’t agree with what they said,” Winn tried, but Kara shook her head.

 “Lena asked me to go through her emails and voicemail, because she knew it would be full of bad stuff,” Kara told him in annoyance at all of those people, “I didn’t think it would actually be very bad, but... Wow. There wasn’t a single message saying anything about her being innocent. It was all hate, or reporters trying to interview her, or her company’s board talking about how they were going to clean up her name this time, or stupid people like  _Morgan Edge_  saying that they knew she wasn’t trying to turn L-Corp around for good, and...”

“Morgan Edge?” Winn asked, but Kara just kept going.

“Lena doesn’t deserve any of that,” Kara said in exasperation, looking at Winn helplessly. “She’s the opposite of all that. She’s... She’s so kind, and she has a sweet tooth even though she would rather die than admit to that, and she loves knowledge more than anything, and... She deals with people like that,” Kara pointed at the TV screen, “Everyday but she still tries so hard to be good. She makes me smile every time I see her. I can’t understand why people can see her as anything less than what she is, it’s so.. And I just...” She trailed and shook her head.

Winn carefully set his cup down, before he rested his hand on Kara’s shoulder. “Kara?” He prompted gently. 

It was the honest truth, Kara realized for sure right then. Kara looked at him helplessly, and she admitted to both herself and Winn with a look of defeat, “I like her so much, Winn.” 

With a small laugh, Winn shrugged and said, “I mean, I figured you liked her, since you haven’t quit after working for her this long. A lot of people would’ve quit the second day.”

 “No,” Kara corrected him with a shake of her head. “No, Winn, I _like_ her.”

After a moment to process it, Winn’s eyes widened slightly and his mouth dropped open. “Oh,” He drawled, but then slowly nodded like he was considering this fact. “That... Makes sense, actually. You look at her funny.” 

“What do you mean?” Kara groaned. 

Winn mimicked Kara with a dumb smile, and said in a higher pitched voice than normal, mimicking Kara, “ _Miss Luthor!_ — Ow!” He yelped when Kara hit his shoulder a bit harder than necessary. In his normal voice he said, “Jeez, okay. Seriously though, that like... Makes a lot of sense. I guess that explains the entire situation, why you would go that far to help her and stuff, huh?”

Kara sighed. “I kinda knew I did, maybe. I don’t know. It kinda just hit me all the way.” How could she not like Lena in a bit less-than-platonic manner? It was _Lena_. Who also happened to be her boss. Kara groaned, “Winn, I’m the stupidest person ever.” 

Winn smiled sympathetically, and set his hand on Kara’s. “Nah,” He disagreed, “just, maybe don’t tell Alex that, like, anytime soon.”

“She already thinks I do,” Kara deadpanned as it dawned on her the nature of Alex’s words earlier that day. When it fully hit her, her eyes went wide and she said, “Oh, Rao, Winn, Alex literally was asking me if I liked Lena earlier. I didn’t get what she was talking about— Oh my Rao. Is it that obvious?” How was she supposed to face her boss when it was apparently that obvious to Alex and even Winn in his hindsight?

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense, too.” Winn decided after a second, before he started to laugh. “We can’t sneak anything past Alex, I guess.”

“Oh, Rao,” Kara repeated dumbly.

“If Lena’s gonna be dating Supergirl, I’m pretty sure I gotta get more papers from HR. You’re dooming this woman to signing contracts,” Winn joked then, looking at the stack of papers in Kara’s lap.

“Winn,” Kara said in a warning tone. 

She liked Lena. How on Earth it took her even that long to realize it, Kara herself did not even know, but _Rao_. Kara was in trouble. Deep, deep trouble. 

“Dude...” Winn seemed like it was really hitting him, “You seriously have a thing for Lena Luthor?”

“I _seriously_ have a thing for Lena Luthor,” Kara confirmed in a dread-filled tone.

Winn shrugged solemnly, and then thought for a moment. Finally, he said, “I have an idea for you.” His voice was softer than it had been a moment ago. “Not entirely about your, uh, crush, but about Lena.”

Interest piqued, Kara tried to quell the imminent slightly panicked thoughts flooding her brain, and she looked at Winn to prompt him to continue.

“You’re upset all the media she’s getting is so bad, right?” Winn asked.

“Yeah,” Kara confirmed, unsure of what he was going for here, “of course I am. They’re lying.”

Winn took an unnecessarily long drink of his tea at exactly then, the worst possible time to leave Kara hanging, and when Kara’s eyes flashed momentarily red as a somewhat joking warning, he took the hint. He swallowed his gulp of tea all too quickly, and set the cup down. “I mean, you used to send me all this different stuff you wrote,” Winn said once he got over his near choking, “you remember that?”

With a slight tilt of her head, Kara confirmed slowly, “I remember.” Writing had been Kara’s biggest hobby ever since she had come to Earth. Once in a while, Kara would show Winn different things she had written. The range of what she had shown him was expansive— Essays in random topics, to short stories, to poems, to bizarre journals to herself—everything one could think of. “So?”

Winn looked at her with a soft, mischievous gaze. “ _So_ , you’re really good at it. You have, uh, a way with words.” He paused, but seeing as Kara was still clueless as to what he was thinking, he went on, “Okay. Kara, you don’t like all the things being said about Lena. News articles, the news on television, gossip channels, everyone has their opinion on Lena and it seems to be the general consensus that she’s just another evil Luthor, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Kara confirmed with a spike of irritation at all those people.

“Write your own article about her,” Winn said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Kara instantly stared at him like a deer in headlights at the mere thought. “I’ve read your writing, you’re good, and you’re clearly... Um... Well, _passionate_ about the subject. So, write your own.”

Kara nearly laughed out of nerves and confusion. “What good would that do?” She questioned him immediately, as she fiddled with the contract papers in her lap. “I already write down what I’m thinking. It wouldn’t make an ounce of difference.”

Winn rolled his eyes. “Not for yourself, Kara. Post a blog. Tweet the heck out of it.” He shifted on the couch so he could use hand motions more clearly as he said, “Dude, imagine how many people you could reach instantly by just blogging about it. It’s literally the easiest thing, and you happen to have a tech guy sitting right in front of you who can get it spread a little faster than most people could. With some, y’know, hacking, but that’s besides the point.” 

Kara simply blinked at her zealous friend. The idea he was proposing sounded nothing more than absurd to her, right then. “I don’t... I don’t share anything I write with people anyway,” She argued.

“You’ve shared it with me, and Alex,” He countered.

“Yeah, but not with strangers on the internet!” Kara said. “Would it even... Do any good? At all?” 

Winn simply shrugged. “Sometimes the pen is mightier than the cape, Supergirl,” He said easily, and Kara thought he might be better at convincing anybody than she was, “You have a way with words that would make anybody want to listen. You’re upset about all the bad stuff being said about Lena, you have a lot of thoughts on it obviously, and you have a friend right here who can help.” 

Kara thought for a moment. Maybe, just maybe, Winn was onto something. She definitely could write something about Lena’s innocence in a jiffy, she had more than her fair share of anger at the way Lena was being treated, and she would be lying if she claimed she had not written about Lena before, anyway. And, she knew Winn could get it spread around easily, so it would be read. 

“Plus, maybe it’ll score you some brownie points with your crush,” Winn added more jokingly.

Kara instantly glared at him, “Winn, do not go there.”

Winn laughed wholeheartedly. After a second, he stood up with an exaggerated huff, and grinned at Kara. “Think about it, okay?” He asked, and when she hesitantly nodded, he offered, “You wanna get pizza?”

“I could definitely go for some pizza.”

—

Kara stared at her laptop screen and the words on it with nervousness as she pursed her lips and tried to make a decision. Writing all of it had been simple; Winn was not wrong in saying Kara had a lot of passion for the subject, so the words just fell out from Kara’s fingertips to the keyboard. But, now it seemed, she was at a crossroads. 

_“Dude, just post it,”_ Winn’s voice said through the speaker of Kara’s phone, _“I’ve got your back.”_

“Don’t you think _karadanvers.com_ sounds a little pretentious?” Kara asked immediately, her gaze drifting to the url Winn had gotten for her. She knew it was her blog, so her name on it was fine, but something about having her name splashed across every single detail of this whole ordeal was nerve-wracking.

_“It’s to-the-point. And it’s more professional than, like, potstickerlover123, or something,”_ Winn reasoned, and Kara had to admit he had a point. 

Still, Kara was not entirely convinced. “I don’t know, Winn, what if it’s a bad idea?”

 With an exasperated sigh, Winn said clearly, _“Kara, I can literally hack your laptop right now and post it. You may as well just hit the button before I do, cool?”_

After a moment of internal struggle, Kara said a bit louder than necessary, “Fine!” Without another thought, she hit the post button before she could change her mind and be filled with regret. Although, the second the uploading had completed and it was officially posted, the fear drifted into her. “Oh, no, I really posted it,” She said out loud like she could not believe what she had done.

A loud whoop from Winn came through the phone, and Kara could practically see him jumping out of his chair to celebrate. _“See! That wasn’t difficult, was it?”_

 “I really posted it,” Kara repeated dumbly, simply staring at the laptop screen.

  _“Hell yeah!”_ Winn cheered her on, _“Yeah, you’re definitely scoring some points with Lena for this.”_

“Winn,” She scolded instantly, “This is not about that. And, seriously, don’t talk about that when I’m literally in the same building as her, please.” Kara might be the one with superhearing but that didn’t mean Lena couldn’t accidentally overhear Winn’s obnoxious teasing, and Kara was not risking it.

_“It’s officially out there,”_ Winn said, ignoring Kara’s plea, _“all on karadanvers.com. That wasn’t hard at all!”_

“Well,” Kara started, but she was quickly interrupted.

 In the hallway that was shared between her own office and Lena’s, there was a sudden violent knocking on Lena’s door. Kara’s eyebrows furrowed, and she said carefully into her phone, “I’ll call you back, Winn.” She hung up, and immediately stood and went for her door.

When Kara opened the door of her office and stepped into the hall, she immediately saw the man who was all but beating down Lena’s door. Kara immediately felt somewhat irritated; she recognized him from the photos of him she had seen on google. Morgan Edge. 

“Hey,” She barked at him, and it seemed to grab his attention, because he gave the door a break from his knocking and stared at her with cold eyes. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t harass Miss Luthor. Can I help you with something?” 

Edge looked at her like he were sizing her up, which made Kara rather uncomfortable, before he just scoffed and said, “You’re the assistant who was on the phone. I gotta tell you, you’re way more annoying than Lena’s last assistant, blondie.”

When Edge had called looking for Lena, Kara had admittedly spent the better part of five minutes trying to just get him to hang up rather than tell Lena he was on the phone. He had gotten irritated, and Kara had eventually had to give in and tell Lena he was looking to speak with her. Kara had felt rather defeated when Lena said she would speak with him, considering she knew how much of a bother he was to her. Not to mention, he had most definitely threatened Lena over the phone. Kara did not like him one bit.

“It’s Miss Luthor, to you, not Lena,” Kara corrected him easily, and crossed her arms. She did not like the way he said Lena’s name, and he certainly had no right to call her Lena like they were friends. “And don’t call me blondie.”

With a roll of his eyes that irked Kara even further, Edge just said, “Are you going to get Lena for me, or not, blondie?”

Kara had every urge to just throw him down the elevator shaft and let him find his way out of the building, but unfortunately it was her job to make Lena aware of who wished to visit her, even if she declined. Which, Kara hoped she would. “Wait one moment,” She mumbled to Edge, before she trudged to her office to page Lena, keeping an x-ray visioned eye on Edge. 

She hit the button, and said calmly, “Lena?”

A second later she heard Lena reply with, “Kara?”

With hesitation, Kara informed her, “Morgan Edge is here. He wants to speak with you.” Edge was tapping his foot and staring at his watch as if Lena was the one barging into his office and wasting his time. “Do you want me to tell him he needs to make an appointment with you?” 

“That’s who was practically banging down my door, hm? Wonderful, can’t say I’m surprised.” Kara heard the end of Lena sighing over the device, before Lena asked, “What’s my schedule look like?”

“Truthfully, you’re free for the next hour,” Kara said regretfully. 

It took several moments for Lena to respond. When she did, she sounded annoyed, but still, she said, “Bring him in, Kara.”

With a sigh of her own, Kara confirmed, “Sure thing, Lena.” With a huff, she left her office again, to join Morgan Edge in the hallway. “Let’s go,” She said dryly.

He looked at her with a smirk.

—

It was very clear that, for whatever reason, Kara did not like Morgan Edge. Lena could not blame

her, of course, considering she herself had more than enough hatred for that man. It was simply entertaining to her the way Kara was acting.  

Kara unlocked the door to Lena’s office, and opened the door to let herself in. To Lena’s amusement, Kara did not even bother to hold the door for Edge. She simply walked inside and let the door fall back into an unsuspecting Edge who had figured she would hold it for him. Lena couldn’t help but smile slyly at her suddenly fiery assistant.

 As soon as Edge had entered Lena’s grand office as well, Kara had marched her way up to Lena and stood by her side, her eyes focused on Edge who stood across from them. Lena nearly laughed, the girl had such a look of agitation, determination, and threat at this man. 

“Morgan Edge,” Lena said with bitterness in the pleasantry, as she clasped her hands together. “To what do I owe the unexpected visit? You are aware appointments tend to be booked before visiting a CEO of my stature, yes?” 

Edge just flashed Lena that cocky smirk of his, before he eyed Kara in a way that made Lena feel agitated. “Go get me some coffee, blondie,” He ordered Kara, with a jerk of his head to Lena’s office doors. 

Hell no. Immediately, Lena took a step forward and told Edge very firmly, “You will not order her around, Edge.” She made sure Edge was staring her straight in her cold eyes as she continued with a warning, “And you will treat my assistant with respect. You can say whatever you wish about me, Edge, I truly do not care— But say anything wrong about her again and I won’t hesitate to call security. After all, I’m already being too generous by allowing your presence here.“

Edge looked from Kara, to Lena, with a look of annoyance, and he asked, “Is she just going to stand there like your guard dog?” 

Lena felt Kara look at her like she wasn’t sure what to do, and Lena just said simply, “She stays.” Kara seemed to have her confidence fueled by this, because she stepped forward so she was directly next to Lena and she crossed her arms, making it clear she was not going anywhere. 

“Whatever,” He said with a shake of his head, before he gave Lena his harsh stare. “I assume you know why I’m here?”

With a click of her tongue, Lena shrugged. “Considering I think I made it very clear on my stance during your phone call,” She said easily, “I can’t say I do know why you’re showing up here.” 

Edge gave a humorous, icy laugh that irked Lena even further. By God, she truly hated that man. “Considering that IQ of yours, I’m hoping you’ll see reason with the light of these new events, Lena,” He said in that calm tone that dropped with arrogance, “You know, the board of this very company is currently having meeting after meeting discussing how to replace you. I’m sure you didn’t know that, though, did you?”

Frowning, Lena thought about it. While she was not one to believe the words of Morgan Edge, she was going to have to have some of her own words with L-Corp’s board. She knew they weren’t so fond of her, and there certainly was some damage control needed after the events of late. “Your point, Edge?”

“My point, Lena,” Edge said in a voice that seemed as if he was trying to dumb it down for Lena, “Is that it would be better for everybody, and especially you, if you stepped down quietly rather than causing a scene with the board and L-Corp when you’re inevitably forced from your throne. And, I’m right here in front of you, offering you a good couple billion dollars for this company. Wouldn’t you rather pass it down to someone you know rather than whoever your board throws in after you?”

Lena didn’t stop herself from laughing. “I’ve quite literally never trusted anybody in business less than you,” She told him in complete honesty, “You forget I have my connections, too, Edge; I’ve seen your plans for my properties, you want to turn my children’s hospital into housing for rich people, for God’s sake. You’re no hero, that’s for certain.”

 “And you are?” He spat venomously, though he looked more entertained than insulted. Lena truly wished for nothing more than to wipe that godforsaken grin off of his face for once. “You can claim all the things you wish about me, but at least I never, say, blew a few aliens’s heads off.”

“Lena didn’t do that,” Kara said suddenly beside her, to Lena’s surprise, “Are you seriously not gonna let that go? She was deemed innocent. That was the whole point of that whole thing.”

“It’s okay, Kara,” Lena told her softly, raising a hand to tell her assistant to back down, as much as she appreciated the backup. 

Edge didn’t seem deterred from his accusations, though, because he went on with, “Or, how about all those press conferences since you took over this company, huh?” He laughed, “Every one of them ended in explosions or gunfire. Yet, you were deemed the victim of all of them. How are we, the citizens of this city, supposed to be certain that you don’t host these press conferences with the intention of people getting hurt? You set it up, hire some people to attack it, play the victim so the media kisses your ass.”

“Really, Edge?” Lena asked, truly baffled by the limb he was going out on. “Now you’re just reaching for anything, aren’t you? Can’t handle the fact you’re not getting everything you want for once in your perfect life so you throw false accusations at me, hm?” She laughed dryly. “Honestly, grow up.” 

“You’re worse than your brother, Lena, don’t even try to deny that,” He spat harshly.

For a moment Lena thought Kara were going to deck him. Kara stepped forward, her crossed arms dropping to her sides, fists clenched, but Lena held her arm out to stop Kara. Kara just looked at her, and she gave her a nod that meant be cool, and she stepped back again. 

Even though Edge seemed to be getting irritated, he kept his demeanor cool. With a calm, hard tone, he told Lena, “I’ll be generous. You have a month to reconsider and make up your mind.”

Scoffing, Lena asked him, “Or else what, Edge? I’ve already made up my mind, I told you exactly that.” 

“Or else I’ll have to get creative in my methods,” He said in a warning, amused tone, like he were somewhat hoping he would get to the point where he would need to do exactly that.  

“How about you focus your creativity on your own work?” Lena suggested in boredom, “I’ve seen what you can do, and that’s the entire reason I ever invested any money into your work. Don’t let your obsession with me keep you from doing your work in the best way you can, Edge.”

“One month,” Edge said again in finality, his tone a tad louder this time. “Or else. You seem awfully fond of your pet,” He said with that cruel smile, as he glanced pointedly at Kara, “It would really be terrible if something happened to her, you know, Lena?”

That, that one comment, out of the whole conversation, made Lena seethe. Her lips pulled tight, Lena raised her voice unintentionally, and ordered firmly, “Get out of my building.” She pointed at the doors, “Now.” 

“You’re not fit to run this place, Lena,” Edge went on, ignoring Lena’s orders, “One of these days, your luck is going to run dry, and you’re going to end up in a maximum security prison like that brother of yours, or you’re going to piss off the wrong person and end up—“

Kara stepped forward so quickly Lena almost didn’t notice she was walking to him, and to Lena’s surprise, Kara grabbed Edge by the arm and Edge actually looked pained. Kara had a furious expression on as she dragged Edge to the doors, clutching his arm, as he cursed and stared at his arm like he was worried she would snap his elbow.

Lena even heard him say the word please amongst his cussing and trying to get Kara to let go of his arm.

Lena blinked absentmindedly as she stared at the empty space ahead of her when the door clicked shut and she faintly heard Morgan Edge’s cursing outside the room. 

Kara had made a grown man do his equivalent of groveling just because she grabbed his arm and managed to literally drag him away. Lena supposed Kara was stronger than she looked, and that little thing made her even more curious. 

Kara was strong.

Much stronger than she should be, anyway. 

Which, Lena found herself hoping was definitely the case, after Edge’s pathetic threats towards Kara. That had pissed her off more than anything, more than him accusing her so falsely, more than him trying to take away her company she had worked so hard to restore the goodness of. 

But, Edge had never been a violent man, if nothing else. Lena found it easy for her to assume he was all bark and no bite. 

However, threatening Kara crossed a line, and she definitely was not going to be allowing anymore surprise visits from him for a while. She made a mental note to herself to notify the guards downstairs to not allow him in the building. 

Lena gave a heavy sigh to the empty room, before she went back to the comfort of her desk and sat down. One month, she snickered to herself. Hopefully he wasn’t waiting on an answer, considering she had already made her decision quite clear and held no intention of changing her mind, especially after that tantrum of his. 

Morgan Edge was a piece of work, at least that was for certain. 

 A couple of minutes passed where Lena simply sat idly at her desk, replaying the whole scene in her head, before Kara came walking back into the office with such an unbelieving look on her sweet face. 

 “Golly, I had no idea how awful that man was,” Kara said as the door shut behind her and she walked to join Lena at the desk. Lena felt oddly comforted by the silly expression on Kara. “I told Rob to make sure he leaves the premises and doesn’t come back.” 

Lena quirked an eyebrow at Kara, and said, “First of all, golly? You’re unbelievably strange, Kara.” She tried to ignore the sudden redness in Kara’s cheeks, but it made her smile. “Secondly, I still can’t believe you got so friendly with my security guards.”

“I’m a friendly person!” Kara informed her like Lena didn’t already know, and then she pouted and said, “Which, me not liking him proves Morgan Edge is a real jerk. I like everyone.” 

Lena laughed sweetly, “That definitely proves it.” She squeezed her eyes shut, and waved at Kara to get her attention. “Pour me a drink, Kara?” She asked, and pointed at the glass on her desk, “I already have a glass. The, um, wine is over there.” She waved in the general direction of _left_. 

With a far gentler tone, Kara said, “Sure, boss.” Lena opened her eyes to watch Kara take her glass and dart over to the wine to get her a glass. 

“Don’t be shy,” Lena said as she watched Kara pour, “Fill that thing to the brim, please.” 

Kara gave her a look, but did as she was told. She brought the glass back to Lena and Lena took it gratefully. Lena took a sip of the bitter tasting drink, and let it soothe her, as Kara fidgeted next to her. 

“Are you okay, Lena?” Kara asked softly, worry etched into her features, and Lena found herself feeling incredibly thankful for this woman. “I... I just want to tell you that everything he said is, excuse my language, stupid. I know you’re not bad, Lena. And I’m sure you know you aren’t, too, but... What I mean is I know it’s hard to hear stuff like that even when you know it isn’t true.”

The words made Lena smile. “Don’t worry,” She assured Kara after swallowing another sip, “I can handle a stubborn sexist like Edge any day.” For a moment, she was silent, lips pursed, before she said apologetically, “What bothered me was that he threatened you. I’m sorry, Kara. Not that I think Edge will actually do anything, but if it makes you feel safer, I can up security in case.”

 Kara laughed in a nervous, unbelieving way. “What? Don’t be sorry,” She told Lena simply, “and don’t worry about that. I think I handled him pretty good, I don’t think he’ll be tryna mess with me anytime soon. I think he’s gonna have a nasty bruise by morning.”

This truly made Lena let out a laugh. “You’ve got some power to you, don’t you, Kara Danvers?” She asked in such amusement, and she eyed Kara’s arms with a quirk of her eyebrow. Before she could help herself, she questioned, “For God’s sake, he looked truly pained. What kind of muscles are you hiding under those cute cardigans?”

 The words certainly had their effect on Kara. She flushed pink, and fixed her glasses as she stuttered inconceivable words, trying to formulate a response. “I—I don’t—I guess I—Work out sometimes? Or something? You think my cardigans are cute? Wait— I’m not _super_ strong, just so you know. Wait— no super! I’m just not strong! Um, adrenaline? Or he’s just really weak. Yeah.”

“Breathe,” Lena reminded her with an airy laugh, and Kara nodded quickly as she took a very deep breath. “How about you head home, Kara? It’s late, and we’ve both had an eventful day.” Lena suggested as she noticed the sun disappearing outside of her window, being replaced with darkness. 

Kara seemed to have gathered herself. “Are you sure?” She asked, and adjusted her glasses yet again. “I can stay with you, Lena. Or make sure you get home alright,” She offered, “just for peace of mind after that guy.”

The sentiment truly meant a lot to Lena. But, she simply shook her head and said, “Thank you, but I’m alright. Go on home, Kara.”

 Hesitantly, Kara caved and said, “If you’re sure.” She smiled that sweet, brilliant smile Lena adored, and said, “I’ll see ya tomorrow, then.” She gave Lena a sort of funny look as she trailed.

Lena thought she might understand, and without much thought and more hope than reason, she stood from her desk and held out her arms just slightly, testing. 

It seemed she got it right, thankfully, because the hesitation in Kara’s eyes faded back to that bright joy and Kara stepped forward to hug Lena. Lena relaxed into Kara’s arms, and this time around she noticed that Kara really did seem stronger than she looked in those pastel cardigans and button-downs. She held Lena tightly, her arms felt firm, Lena noticed in the brief embrace. 

 The hug was short but Kara held Lena like she were afraid to let her go, and Lena found she wished she wouldn’t let go, as strange as it was. But, as all good things must come to an end, they drifted apart and Lena felt nearly embarrassed at the softness of her voice as she said, “Goodnight, Kara.” 

 “Goodnight,” Kara said just as gently, just as brightly, “Lena.” Her hand had lingered on Lena’s elbow, and she gave a little squeeze, before she headed for the office doors. Lena watched her leave, watched her give a cheerful wave before she darted out into the hallway and the door slammed.

 Lena stared at the door for a bit longer than necessary after Kara left. The longing feeling in her stomach was so strange, and she knew there was no reason to feel like she missed Kara, not when she saw her everyday, not when Kara was her assistant.

 Before her thoughts could eat at her any further, Lena grabbed her wine glass and made her way over to retrieve the bottle as well. With the two items in her grasp, she made her way out onto her balcony. Perhaps some fresh air would do her some good, perhaps the numbing feeling of being so scarily high up would help her.

 After finishing the last sip of the glass Kara had gotten for her, Lena poured herself yet another. If nothing else could prove comforting to Lena, alcohol had a familiar bitter taste that at the very least numbed her to the world. Lena stood on her office’s balcony, leaning against the railing with a cup of red wine in her hold. She ignored the dizziness she felt as she stared blankly at the buildings across her and street below her, and simply sipped her drink calmly.

Lena poured her third glass absentmindedly.

 The Morgan Edge situation was nothing she could not handle. It was nothing she would let herself be bothered by. If living with the Luthors had taught her nothing else, it had taught her how to bury her emotions. Little boxes, she thought of it as. Any emotion would do nicely tucked away in a little box in the back of her mind. So, even if she was stressed and maybe even slightly afraid of what Edge was willing to do, it didn’t matter. 

 Or, even if she had some foreign feelings around Kara that she could not quite sort out, it did not matter. Her boxes mechanism, a bottle of alcohol, and the night’s cool breeze on her face while she overlooked the cruel city was more than enough for her to bury feelings of any nature.

 Tonight was feeling less than grand for Lena.

 That is, until she heard a strangely familiar voice just above her. 

 “I don’t think balconies and alcohol mix, Miss Luthor,” Supergirl said as she gently touched down next to Lena. She raised her hand, and gave enough time for Lena to stop her if she wanted to, before she set it on Lena’s shoulder like she was worried Lena would topple over the balcony. Lena noticed in her other hand she carried a thick folder. 

 “Supergirl,” Lena greeted, in a way that she had to admit sounded a bit breathless. In her defense, it was rather breathtaking to see Supergirl up close. Supergirl was rather breathtaking. “I suppose nobody ever taught you how to use a door? Were things that different on Krypton?” She asked teasingly, in reference to this being the second time Supergirl had just landed on her balcony.

 Supergirl laughed softly, before she asked gently, “Are you okay?” 

 “Just fine,” Lena answered easily, watching the drink in her cup slosh around as she circled her wrist, rather than turning her gaze to the much too beautiful superhero. “I feel about the same as I normally do, so...”

Supergirl took this answer and hummed. “You know, you shouldn’t stand so close to the railing while you’re drinking,” She warned.

“Something tells me you’d catch me if I fell,” Lena said bluntly. Supergirl was far too heroic to let her fall if she happened to. Still, she took a step back from the railing to satisfy Supergirl and gave her a look that read _happy?_.

 Supergirl’s appreciative smile was enough of an answer for that. “I’ll always catch you, Lena,” She said like it should be obvious, before she looked a tad worried and she corrected herself, “I mean, Miss Luthor.”

 There was something about the way Supergirl said her first name. Lena offered a short smile at the Super’s words, before she headed for the door to her office and asked Supergirl simply, “To what do I owe this visit, Supergirl?” 

 The question seemed to spark some remembrance in Supergirl, because she let out a “Oh!” and quickly joined Lena as she walked into the office. Lena watched as Supergirl fumbled with the file in her grip, before Supergirl said, “There’s papers you have to sign because you know about the DEO. I wanted to come myself and give them to you.”

 Lena quirked an eyebrow at the knowledge Supergirl had wanted to personally bring the papers that could easily have been mailed. But, she just nodded and motioned with her hand for Supergirl to join her as she picked up her glass and bottle and headed for the little couch in the big office to take a seat. On the way she set down the bottle of wine on her desk. Supergirl sat next to her when she finally did sit, closer than necessary like Kara tended to do, and Lena found she appreciated the closeness. 

 “Quite a stack of papers, huh?” Lena asked rhetorically as Supergirl set the pile down on the table in front of them. 

 Supergirl nodded eagerly, and said like it was unbelievable, “That’s what I said!” She scoffed as she looked down at the papers, and then back at Lena, “It’s ridiculous!” She seemed genuinely baffled by it, and Lena found her spirits being lifted just by that simple thing. 

 With a short sigh, Lena shook her head and waved her hand at the papers. “So, Supergirl?” She asked, and when Supergirl gave Lena a questioning look, she continued with, “Are you going to give me the basic rundown of it all?”

 Looking as though she had somehow totally forgotten about the reason she was here, Kara blinked a couple of times, before her mouth hung open in an ‘o’. Quickly, she got that smile back on her face, though this time Lena saw it was nervous. “Right. Um, so, warning... Agent Danvers took the liberty of... Adjusting them.”

 Lena quirked an eyebrow at the superhero.

 “I mean, don’t pay too much attention to anything that sounds a bit... Targeted to you and your family name and everything,” Supergirl said apologetically, “Honestly, I’m embarrassed to even let you see these papers.”

 With a small laugh, Lena shook her head. “It’s fine,” She assured Supergirl, and absentmindedly punctuated her point by setting her hand on the hero’s knee. “If you think it’s the first contract I’ve seen tailored to fit a Luthor, you’d be wrong.” 

 Supergirl just huffed and said, “Well, that makes it even worse!” She crossed her arms in what Lena found to be an adorably childishly manner, and said, “Now we’re just adding to the collection!”

 “At least it’s consistent?” Lena offered with an amused smile.

 Supergirl shook her head and rolled her eyes in good nature. She simply smiled and stared at Lena for a moment. “Anyway,” She said suddenly, and leaned forward the flip through the papers to show Lena, “Winn said, there’s... four, no— three, three parts. Um, one about talking to reporters and stuff, one about talking online about the DEO, and the last one’s about talking to friends and... You’ll notice Agent Danvers accentuated this one, unfortunately...Family.” 

 With more than a little sarcasm dripping from her tone, Lena said with a snap of her fingers, “God, she got me. I was just on my way to run down to Stryker to tell brother dearest all about it.” She ignored Supergirl’s warning look, before she noticed the last page of the bunch right as Supergirl was flipping back to the front. “What’s that last page, there?” 

Supergirl flipped back to it, and explained, “Oh, that one’s for me to sign, saying I trust you.” Brightly, she smiled at Lena in a way that made Lena’s heart flutter, “Which I have no hesitation in signing. Would you happen to have a pen I could borrow, Miss Luthor?” 

The sudden nervous feeling she tended to have around Supergirl came back, as Lena nodded quickly and stood up. She picked up her empty glass from the coffee table and as she headed to her desk for both a refill to calm her own nerves and a pen for the Super, she asked coolly, “Would you like a drink while you’re here, Supergirl?” 

“No, thank you,” Supergirl said with a laugh, and then explained, “human’s alcohol doesn’t affect me. And it’s not like the taste is enough in itself to make me want to drink it, anyway.” Lena saw from the corner of her eye as Supergirl made a disgusted sort of look at the thought of the taste. 

 “Human’s alcohol?” Lena asked, intrigued, as she poured a generous amount of alcohol into her glass. “So, you can get drunk, but not from ours?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Supergirl confirmed with an awkward laugh, “I didn’t know there was any here on Earth until a couple of months ago. There’s some alien bars with this alcohol from Daxam, a planet neighboring Krypton, but, uh... Yeah, drunk Supergirl is not great. Trust me.” 

This piqued Lena’s interest. “Oh? Is the Girl of Steel unable to handle her alcohol very well?” She questioned, unable to help the amount of amusement she had at the thought of the mostly composed, goddess of a superhero become nothing but a silly mess after a few drinks. “I take you as a happy drunk?” 

“Spot on,” Supergirl confirmed with a laugh, “A bit too giggly and stupid to be a superhero, at that point.”  

“I’d offer to buy you one of those drinks at some point, but something tells me Agent Danvers would see it as my plot to get you weak so I could go about my evil Luthor plans,” Lena joked with a smirk as she grabbed a black pen from her desk and made her way back to the hero. She sat down just as Supergirl scoffed at her joke.

“You’re relentless in joking like that, aren’t you?” Supergirl asked unbelievingly.

Lena hummed her confirmation as she took a drink of her refilled cup. She handed Supergirl the pen. 

 “For the record, I wouldn’t be opposed to you buying me that drink,” Supergirl teased as she clicked the pen, “What Agent Danvers doesn’t know won’t kill her, right?”

Totally elegantly, Lena nearly choked on her wine at Supergirl’s words. She recovered quickly, but not quickly enough to save herself from the painfully satisfied look on Supergirl’s face. 

Before Lena could think of a witty response, Supergirl had flipped back to the page she needed to sign. She made brief, pointed eye contact with Lena, before she signed without any hesitation. 

 Supergirl set down the papers, and the pen, and she nodded down at her signature, which somehow was as cheerful and cute as she was, with big loopy letters. “You know, whoever might’ve bothered you tonight,” Supergirl told her with a knowing tone as she eyed Lena’s wine, “They don’t matter. Kara Danvers trusts you and so do I.” A dorky grin appeared on her and she added, “You’ve got National City’s own superhero on your side, how cool is that? Who cares about some jerk telling you lies? I’m way cooler.”

 The words honestly took Lena aback, somewhat. She supposed they shouldn’t, after all Supergirl was entirely too good for this world, it had turned out. But, still, it was somewhat comforting to hear. Lena wanted to say thank you, but somehow the words that came out were instead a teasing, “You’re awfully cocky about yourself, aren’t you, Supergirl?”

 All the same, Supergirl seemed to understand Lena’s gratitude, because she just smiled and shrugged. 

 “If it... Makes you feel any more hopeful,” Supergirl said softly, “The DEO arrested who actually did it and we know why, now. So, the news should be filled with the truth of it, now. A little more than just saying your innocent, it has some substance to it, you know? Maybe it’ll sway more people.”

 Lena found herself interested. “One can hope,” She said bluntly, because really she knew it wouldn’t be likely to sway anybody, but she asked, “Can you tell me the details, Supergirl? Please?”

 A somewhat sad expression fell upon the bright hero, which only made Lena even more curious as to what led to her false near-arrest. “There was a group of employees at some store. The one we got the video footage from, you know?” Supergirl told her regretfully, “It... Turned out they were hired by Lex Luthor, to frame you. I’m sorry, Miss Luthor.”

 But Lena only nodded. That was what she had expected, so she could not truthfully say it shocked her. Disappointed her, maybe, to find she was right when she could have all the hope in the world that he would not have hired yet more people to ruin her life. 

 “You wouldn’t be too annoyed with me if I were to sign these tomorrow?” Lena asked rather than dwelling on her brother, and pointed to the documents she needed to take care of. “Not that I don’t trust you, but I’d like to go through them thoroughly before signing, and I honestly am feeling a bit...”

 “Exhausted?” Supergirl offered.

 Lena smiled pointlessly, and agreed, “Yeah. Definitely.”

 Supergirl’s hand found Lena’s, and Lena tried to blame the feeling in her stomach on the alcohol. “That’s perfectly okay, Miss Luthor. Take your time.”

 Lena nearly shuddered as Supergirl ran her thumb across her knuckles. God, Supergirl was too much for Lena to handle. “How do I get them to you when I’m done?” She asked, “I doubt the DEO has a mailbox for citizens to mail to.”

 “Just call out for me when you’re done,” Supergirl said like it were obvious, “I’ll hear you. Did you know I have pretty good hearing?”

 Lena gasped in faux shock, and squeezed Supergirl’s hand. “Oh, really? I never would have imagined!” 

 She and Supergirl laughed, together, openly and freely, and for the first time she had been around Supergirl, Lena didn’t feel the stress of everything happening around her at all. So, for the first time without an ounce of stress, and for the first time in some damn decent lighting, Lena really looked at Supergirl.

 Supergirl was undeniably the single most beautiful being on the planet. With her free hand, Supergirl pushed her blonde curls away from her face as she laughed, and Lena relished the smile she had. Her eyes were shut as she laughed, there were little crinkles under her eyes, and Lena caught notice, then, of the scar by her eyebrow. 

 And, with all the weight of the world, Lena’s smile fell.

 “ _Kara_?” She said bluntly, without a thought.


	6. Supergirl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena knows a certain secret, Alex is a supportive sister, and Lena has a couple of surprises for Kara.

For whatever reason, Supergirl found herself entirely unable to stop laughing at Lena‘s response to her poor joke despite it not being the funniest thing in the world. She had already come to the understanding of the fact she could not help herself around Lena, whether she liked it or not. It was ridiculous. 

However, Lena then said one, simple word. Kara. Her voice had been so quiet, filled with some sort of emotion Supergirl could not quite place. Shock, triumph, realization, hurt— _Something._ Some amalgam of emotions she couldn’t place.

The weight of that one word, _Kara,_ helped Supergirl stop laughing. Her laughter died down, her smile lost some of its gleam, and she gave Lena a strange look as she tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows. “What, Miss Luthor?” She asked, and she listened carefully to find that Lena’s heartbeat was racing.

Lena had her gaze locked onto something just above Supergirl’s eyes, and after a second her gaze snapped down to meet Supergirl’s. Whatever emotion was in her eyes, Supergirl could not tell what it was. Whatever it was worried her. 

“What?” Lena asked dumbly, staring at Supergirl like she were crazy.

Carefully, Supergirl said, “You said something, about Kara.” She pursed her lips before she continued with, “What was that about? And are... Are you okay?” 

For a moment, Lena just stared at Supergirl with her lips parted like she were trying to speak. Her hand slipped out of Supergirl’s finally, and Supergirl found herself missing the contact, but Lena finally cleared her throat and spoke as she forced her gaze away from Supergirl. “Kara. Yes, I just remembered I have to... I have to ask Kara to schedule a meeting tomorrow afternoon. Yes, that’s all. Sorry to have confused you, my mouth spoke before my brain could catch up, I suppose.” 

Supergirl watched Lena reach for her drink, she watched Lena’s glazed over expression. “Oh, I see,” Supergirl said with a smile, and asked again, “Are you sure you’re okay, Miss Luthor? You seem a bit shaken.” 

“Just fine, Supergirl,” Lena assured her with little effort before swigging her wine much too quickly. Supergirl frowned at this. For whatever reason, Lena was most definitely not just fine. Her heart was relentlessly pounding away, her eyes held some foreign emotion that Supergirl had never seen in Lena, and she was refusing to look at Supergirl again.

Supergirl took a deep breath, before she tried with, “If I did anything, Lena—“

“I should be getting home,” Lena spoke up with a wince suddenly, and cut Supergirl off the second Supergirl said her first name rather than her last. Supergirl felt her stomach twist in worry. “You should be, too. Or, you should be stopping crime. Whatever it is you Supers do at night.” Lena took a shaky breath that was so subtle anyone with normal hearing would not have noticed, and she set her glass down and stood up. “I’ll have these papers signed as soon as possible.”

Supergirl couldn’t help the pang of disappointment. “O-Oh,” She stuttered our despite herself, but still, she stood up next to Lena. “Sure. Could I fly you home, Miss Luthor?” She offered, and a part of her knew she just wanted to spend every second more she could with Lena. “I think we got pretty good with the flying together thing, after all.”

Lena offered a smile, but Supergirl felt pained at it. It wasn’t Lena’s warm smile, it was that CEO, businesslike forced smile that lacked any warmth, hope, or radiance. She had never been at the receiving end of that smile since her very first day working at L-Corp as Kara Danvers, and now that she was... Her stomach felt like it was in knots.

“That won’t be necessary,” Lena told her coolly, “My driver is downstairs.” 

“Oh,” Supergirl said with disappointment, before she caught herself and forced the joy back into her voice. There was no reason to be disappointed that she wasn’t going to get to carry Lena in her arms and watch her bury her face into her shoulder again. There was no reason to be disappointed that she wasn’t going to feel Lena hold onto her so tightly and listen to her heartbeat as they flew. Supergirl was definitely not disappointed by that. At all. “I understand.” She followed Lena towards the door to the balcony, as she asked, “So... I’ll be seeing you?”

Lena held the balcony door open for her, and she gave Supergirl a knowing smile as she said quietly, “I’m sure you’ll definitely be seeing me again, yes.” 

Supergirl turned, but she was stopped not a second later by Lena, who said in a rushed tone, “Wait.”

Hope filling her system, Supergirl looked back to Lena.

Lena’s lips were sealed together tightly, her arms folded across her chest. For a moment or two, she was just silent, observing the hero, her sharp gaze roaming down the entirety of Supergirl and up again. Finally, she asked, “The photonucleic effect. Can you explain it to me?”

The question surprised Supergirl. Still, she cleared her throat and responded as easily as anything, “It’s a very specialized astronomical phenomenon that takes place when an object native to a red star enters an area with a small G-type star.” Supergirl shrugged, and grinned, “It’s how me and my cousin get our powers. Cool, huh?”

For whatever reason, the answer seemed to confirm something for Lena. What, exactly, Supergirl had no idea. But, Lena just offered a smile that read finality and that she was done here.

Supergirl very nearly went in for a hug. But, she stopped herself the second she moved her foot forward to step closer. That was Kara Danvers who had shared those unreasonably nice hugs with Lena, not Supergirl, and Lena seemed a bit off right now, anyway. Instead, she just said warmly, “See you soon, Miss Luthor.”

“Goodbye, Supergirl,” Lena said with faux warmth, and she stared at Supergirl as she jumped off the balcony and flew up until she was no longer in view. Supergirl listened as Lena sighed and sat in her office chair that creaked slightly, which made Supergirl frown. Lena was supposed to be going home, not doing more work. 

Unable to help herself, Supergirl flew to the top of a building across from L-Corp and sat down on the ledge. With a frown, she watched Lena through the large windows of her office, and she listened carefully. She simply had to see that Lena was okay, and she would be satisfied enough to go home. Whatever was going on was so sudden, one minute Lena was laughing at the next her heart was racing and she could not seem to get Supergirl out of there faster.

Supergirl watched with worry as Lena set her face in her hands, and listened as she took a deep, shuddering breath. Lena didn’t move, then, she only kept her face hidden in her hands as she sat at her desk.

Without another thought Supergirl pulled out her phone. Lips pursed, she hesitantly opened her iMessage to Lena’s contact, and stared at the bright little screen. There were only a few messages between the two of them. A few texts saying the times of meetings Kara had sent, a few texts from Lena asking Kara to stop and get something before she got to work. That was the extent to which they texted. Still, Kara soared a glance back up at Lena, before she put her thumbs to the keyboard and typed a message.

_**Kara:** Hey Lena! Are you okay after everything today? I’m a little worried. :) _

Before she could regret it, she hit the send button. A moment later she heard Lena’s phone ding quietly. Supergirl watched with bated breath as Lena sighed again, before she sat up and grabbed her phone from the desktop. She looked at it, and Kara was suddenly upset because she couldn’t see Lena’s face to gauge her reaction, and it didn’t look like Lena was very ready to answer back. 

But, a minute later, Lena hesitantly started typing and Supergirl nearly dropped her phone in her attempt to look at the screen in anticipation. She watched the three dots that indicated Lena was typing disappear and reappear earnestly, before finally, a message came through.

_**Lena:** nothing a bit of alcohol can’t fix _

_A bit of alcohol,_ Kara criticized to herself as she raised an eyebrow and looked directly at Lena as she drank more. 

_**Kara:** You sound like my sister. Are you still at L-Corp? You should go home, it’s late. After everything today you deserve some rest!!! :) _

A minute later, Lena answered. There were no words, only a single red heart emoji, and Kara looked at it like it were the most interesting text message she had ever received. And, despite not getting an actual answer, she looked up to see Lena standing up from her desk.

Lena packed her phone and a few other items into her purse, before she turned her head and scanned the sky outside her window knowingly, like she knew Supergirl was watching. Which, Supergirl figures, would make no sense, but then Lena was looking nearly straight in her direction and smiling with her eyebrow raised, and— Supergirl very nearly slipped off the edge of the roof. 

But, a moment later Lena turned away from the windows and left her office. Supergirl waited patiently as a few more minutes passed, and finally, Lena emerged from the front doors of L-Corp, and her driver was waiting directly outside for her. A sleek, black car was parked in front of the building, and the driver nodded to Lena before he opened the door for her. She offered him a smile, before she got inside, and the driver shut the door. He rounded the car and got inside the driver’s seat, and the car came to life.

Supergirl sighed through her nose as she watched the car pull away down the street. Maybe Lena just needed some sleep. She had a long day, after all, topped off with a generous amount of alcohol, so perhaps her strange behavior would be wiped away with some rest. 

Her eyes slid shut, and she simply sat and listened for a moment. She listened to Lena’s heartbeat as it got more distant the farther the car went, she paid attention to the fact it was now beating away much more calmly than it had moments ago. She tried to let the calmed heartbeat reassure her.

Supergirl stood up. Whatever it was had to just be remnants of stress from Morgan Edge harassing Lena earlier that day. Supergirl was sure of it. That had to be all it was. So, she ignored the burning feeling eating away at her that said there was more to Lena’s strange behavior. That said it was about her, that she had done something.

With those thoughts forced to the back of her mind, Supergirl flew away.

—

_Kara Danvers is Supergirl._

Lena inhaled shakily as she rested her face in her hands. She felt overwhelmed with the realization. Her brain spun with questions and she felt more like she had been hit with a truck and not a thought. There was no way. And, yet, that was the only explanation to everything. That was it, the thing she had been searching for all this time.

She had all but kicked Supergirl out of her office, and maybe she should have told the truth about what she had noticed, maybe she should have confronted her, but— This was too much. Her brain was not allowing her any normal function right then. 

She couldn’t look at Supergirl or Kara right then. She couldn’t bear to look at that pretty smile and loving eyes when there was such a big secret behind them.

On her desk, her phone dinged a bright chirp and Lena unceremoniously looked up from her hands to look at the screen. Her lips pursed, her stomach twisted, as she saw the name on the screen.

Kara Danvers, it read.

Kara Danvers has been Supergirl this whole time, her mind read.

But, Lena pulled her mind from the gutter the best she could to read the text message with a frown. Of course the girl just had to text her the minute after Supergirl left, the minute after Supergirl left and had known Lena was all but okay.

_**Kara:** Hey Lena! Are you okay after everything today? I’m a little worried. :) _

The sweetness of it made Lena feel suddenly ill. Kara was not entirely the sweetheart she made herself out to be, after all Lena had very much seen that same clumsy girl punch a hole straight through metal and light a fire with her eyes. The fragile girl, the guise of a fragile girl played by an invincible alien, had been winning Lena’s trust and stealing her heart piece by piece the entire time, and Lena had no idea.

What if Kara Danvers only started working at L-Corp because Supergirl wanted to keep an eye on Lena Luthor?

Lena could not understand, could not tolerate, the sick feeling she had at the thought. Her stomach felt like it was in knots, she could feel her heart pounding painfully at her chest, she had her hands clenched into fists so tightly she could feel her manicured nails digging deeply into her palm. 

What if Kara was just spying on her for the DEO? What if Kara was only being kind to her so she would gain Lena’s trust and she could use her? Lena felt the strong urge for another drink. More so, Lena felt the strong urge to drink until she passed out. She had given Kara her trust despite not meaning to, but even if she wanted not to, she had given Kara all of it, she had trusted Supergirl literally with her life, and to think it was all a ploy? To think that it all was just the plot of some vendetta against her?

Of course. Why else would Supergirl come near Lena Luthor, show her any ounce of compassion? Why else would Supergirl’s alter ego come to L-Corp, of all places, for a job? Why else would Supergirl’s alter ego apply to be Lena Luthor’s personal assistant? There was only one feasible reason, and that was to exact revenge on the sister of the man who nearly murdered her cousin. 

Kara Danvers, Supergirl, whoever she was, was never her friend. Not like Lena thought. Not like Lena had found herself wanting. Kara Danvers only wanted to be close to Lena to watch her, to betray her. And Lena had been so foolish to let her get so close, let her worm her way into Lena’s heart. She had been foolish enough to feel so happy when Kara had called her a friend. 

Lena took a deep breath, before she typed a chaste response to Kara, joking about her urge to drink, which was much higher than the text message let on, but still. 

Kara read it immediately, and within a second she had another message from Kara.

_**Kara:** You sound like my sister. Are you still at L-Corp? You should go home, it’s late. After everything today you deserve some rest!!! :) _

The text made Lena’s heart catch in her throat.

_No._

Kara couldn’t be like that. Kara couldn’t be spying on her, using her. If Supergirl did not trust Lena, if Supergirl was trying to get close to Lena to take her down, this would not be how she would go about it. Supergirl showed her genuine kindness when Lena was going to be arrested, Supergirl showed genuine worry about Lena being arrested. If Kara wanted Lena gone, locked up in Cell Block D just like her brother, she never would have flown in as Supergirl and fought with both her sister and the DEO to save her.

Kara’s smile couldn’t be fake. Kara’s friendship couldn’t be fake. 

It just _couldn’t._

Lena had to believe it was not fake.

Kara wasn’t faking as Kara Danvers, not entirely, anyway. While Kara was dorky, and adorably charming, and silly, and Supergirl was confident, sexy, and powerful, Lena had seen herself that the personalities weren’t mutually exclusive. That dorky behavior, that unreasonably charming way Kara did things, slipped into Supergirl now and then. Lena had seen that in Supergirl laying her cape down for her, in Supergirl getting her flowers, in Supergirl holding Lena the entire time she had embarrassingly fallen asleep. The way Supergirl grinned like a dork when Lena had told her how warm she was and both of them had completely forgotten Winn was with them and they weren’t in their own bubble.

It wasn’t an act. Kara Danvers wasn’t an act, and likewise, Supergirl wasn’t an act. Not entirely, anyway. The two women were merely heightened shows of the different sides of one woman’s personality.

Her mind feeling somewhat less panicked at the thought, Lena sent back a red heart emoji. An emoji which, for the most part, accurately described how she felt about the blonde girl on most occasions. Right now, she just felt a little hazy.

Lena got her bag and dumped a few items into it unceremoniously before she stood up, and it hit her. Kara had texted and told her she should go home, after she had already told Supergirl that she was going to go. 

Immediately, she turned, and stared out of the glass walls of her office. The sky was dark, stars scattered about, but Lena knew she had to be out there, somewhere. Her gaze started around, searching and searching, before she saw it. At least, she thought she saw the flicker of a red cape on top of a building across from her own.

And without her consent, a smile grew on her face, and her stubborn heart assured her logical brain that Kara Danvers could not possibly be trying to hurt her. 

After a moment, Lena forced her gaze away from the dark night and the woman who must be watching, and she grabbed her bag. She headed out of her office, and into the elevator. 

_Kara Danvers is Supergirl._

The thought seemed to be playing on repeat, going again and again like a broken record in her mind, as Lena left the elevator and walked briskly outside to find her driver waiting.

“Evening, Miss Luthor,” He said kindly, a gentle smile on his face as he opened the door of the dark, sleek car for her to enter.

Lena offered a tight smile as she stepped inside the car and sat. “Good evening, Richard,” She said with somewhat forced kindness. She just was not entirely in the mood to be genuinely kind at the moment. Her driver shut the door and rounded the car to get in the driver’s seat.

“Home, Miss Luthor?” He asked the CEO as he shut his own door and snapped his seatbelt in the buckle. He set his hands on the steering wheel and glanced back at Lena with the mirror above him.

“Please,” She said with a sigh of relief at the thought of going home. She was suddenly emotionally overwhelmed and she very much needed to just go home. At least at her house, she didn’t have any memories of being with Kara. “It’s been a long day.”

“I’m sure,” He offered kindly, and as the car began to move, Lena let her eyes slide shut.

_Kara Danvers is Supergirl._

How could it be that her sweet Kara was the Girl of Steel?

All the way to her penthouse, Lena thought incoherently about Kara, thinking about it and yet getting nowhere with her thoughts. She tried to let the radio‘s trashy pop and soft hum of the car’s motor flood her brain rather than thoughts of her.

It wasn’t very effective.

“Need me to walk you up?” Her driver offered when he pulled up to Lena’s apartment building.

“I’ll be fine,” Lena told him simply, and then forced a smile yet again when he got out and opened her door for her. She stepped out into the chilly night yet again, and said, “Thank you. Have a good night.”

“You, too, Miss Luthor.”

Lena offered a halfhearted wave to her doorman when she went inside, but made a point of darting briskly to the elevator rather than make small talk with him. 

Kara Danvers, sweet, nervous Kara Danvers, is the invincible, bold superhero of National City.

Lena took a sharp deep breath when she was finally inside her apartment. Her apartment was sleek, made of blacks and whites and marble, and overall there was nothing too homey about it. Still, she shared no memories with Kara here, and it was more comforting than being in her office where she had memory after memory of both Kara and Supergirl.

The charming girl with fidgety hands that fixed her glasses whenever she got nervous is the superhero who punched a hole straight through a slab of metal. 

Suddenly, every single interaction Lena had with her assistant or the hero had come streaming back to her. It was like there had been a wall put up between the truth and Lena’s brain, and now that she had figured it out, the dam had been removed and she was being flooded with all the evidence. 

Lena dropped herself into her bed, high heels and all still on, her eyes staring at the dark ceiling above her, as her brain went into absolute overdrive.

The way Kara had dragged Morgan Edge from Lena’s office, grabbed him in a way that made him look sincerely pained, was so obvious now that Lena cringed. And, to think, Lena had joked about it— asked Kara what kind of muscles she was hiding under those cardigans she wore— when in reality, she had clung to those very arms before. She had felt Supergirl’s muscular arms, subconsciously reveled in the comforting strength of them wrapped around her, and somehow she had failed to notice the same solidity in Kara’s hugs. 

Now, however, she remembered. When Kara hugged her she felt unreasonably safe. Kara held her so firmly, so much so that Lena knew Kara would not let anything happen to her. It was the same comforting strength that had calmed Lena despite how terrified of flying she was when Supergirl picked her up and flew with her. It had been the only thing that kept Lena from losing her mind in the flight. It had been the only thing keeping her from losing her mind when she saw Kara again after being cleared from the DEO. Supergirl held her and she trusted her with all her heart and knew she would not get hurt. Kara Danvers held her and she felt nothing but trust, safety, and compassion. 

Lena remembered then, with some embarrassment, how she had talked to Kara about how beautiful Supergirl was. And, how she had told Supergirl about how warm she was. Which, was true; the superhero radiated heat like the very sun she gained her powers from. And, with even more embarrassment, Lena realized she felt the same heat radiated from Kara every day when she talked to her sweet assistant. Perhaps it was a reason Lena was so helpless to succumbing to trusting Kara. The warmth that just came from her melted Lena’s walls she put up around everyone, and Kara invited herself in every time. Lena was useless in trying to put those walls back up again. 

Around Kara, Lena sometimes felt an urge to reach out and touch her shoulder, or her hands, just because that warmth always felt so inviting. And maybe, now she was realizing, that urge had somehow heightened after meeting Supergirl. Supergirl had held her so close as Lena slept, had held her hand and carried her, and Lena would be lying if she said she wasn’t beginning to crave the Kryptonian’s contact. It was unusually comforting, and Lena somewhat hated how safe she felt around both Supergirl and Kara, but at least now it made sense why it was around both of them she felt it and nobody else.

Because they were the same person. One person who she was strangely enamored by. 

Everything made sense now.

The footage Lena had seen— Kara talking to herself, meanwhile Lena remembered Supergirl telling Winn she smashed her comms. She was talking to the DEO, not blank space or herself. Her running off and disappearing for various amounts of time, could it be she was doing Supergirl business when that happened? 

The coffee. The tea. Supergirl had warmed up Lena’s tea for her with that darling, proud smile. That thing Kara did where she opened up Lena’s coffee cup— No wonder Lena’s coffee was always hot no matter how much time she took. 

Kryptonian DNA certainly explained Kara’s appetite and diet, Lena thought with a genuine smile. 

The way Kara had gotten back so quickly with Lena’s USB that one day. Surely the sky had much less traffic than the streets of the city, and with superspeed to boot.

The device she made to identify aliens was practically melted after she showed it to Kara.

Even the way that agent, Alex Danvers, acted around Supergirl made it obvious. Alex Danvers and Supergirl gave off such a strong vibe of the role they play in each other’s lives that it’s just obvious they are sisters. 

“God, I’m an idiot,” Lena said outloud, to no one in particular. How was she possibly so blind? Nothing about Kara was subtle. 

Lena had spent each day since day one trying to figure out Kara Danvers, and the answer had been behind a pair of glasses and an updo the entire time.

The evidence had been pointing to Kara being Supergirl since the very first day.

Since the very first round of questions.

The photonucleic effect.

She should have known since that very question. Though, now that she thought about it, some part of her must have known, deep down, that her cute assistant was the Girl of Steel. She had asked a random employee to define the photonucleic effect after asking Kara, she had known something about the girl was fishy, and she had been right.

She had just been too blind to actually piece it together.

Supergirl’s earlier response to the same question was only the final proof Lena needed to be sure Kara was Supergirl. Their answer was very nearly the exact same, the difference being faking-dumb assistant and confident hero. 

But, everything! Every, single, little thing, made it obvious to Lena that Kara was Supergirl, and yet she missed all of it. Looking back, Lena wanted to cringe at how obvious it was.

Kara was inhumanely intelligent, beautiful, charming, and Lena supposed that was because she was a literal alien who was practically a god on this planet. How had she not seen it before? 

Kara’s entire disguise was a pair of glasses and a ponytail!

Something about all of this made Lena feel like the entire world wasn’t even real. How could they truly live in a world where the superheroes are that painfully obvious? How could they live in a world where Lena could possibly be so blind to a Superhero sniffing about in her company right under her nose?

Lena nearly had the urge to call Kara right then and give her some advice on how to be a bit more subtle in her secret identity. But, then again, it fooled even Lena, who had a genius level IQ, so maybe it worked. 

How could Lena truly be living in a world where a superhero is her assistant and her friend, and she had no idea?

And maybe, she should call Kara. Not to tell her how dumb her disguise is, but to tell her she knows. Since Kara was, hopefully truthfully, her friend, after all, maybe that would be for the best. They could talk about it. Maybe Lena could understand better, maybe she could get the confirmation she so desperately needed that Kara wasn’t around her to spy and hurt her.

Lena stared up at the ceiling, the knot in her stomach only growing the more she thought about Kara. What if Kara left her life entirely if she found out Lena knew about her identity? After all, a Luthor knowing a Super’s identity didn’t seem like the ideal situation. Especially if Kara was only trying to keep an eye on an evil Luthor.

Which, made Lena think about Lex, and wouldn’t her dear brother be so amused by the fact Supergirl’s alter ego is Lena Luthor’s assistant? 

Something about that made Lena want to throw up. It was ironic, in a strange way, that the Super was working for her, of all people. Something about an alien, a Super, working for Lena at her beck and call as her assistant was somewhat uncomfortable considering Lena worked so hard to stray away from what her brother was like. Because, oh, Lex would adore it, he would warp it into something that made Lena sound bad and make Lena believe it, too.

Maybe telling Kara she knows would be the best option at this point.

Maybe.

But Lena’s mind told her otherwise. Maybe she could get answers, and be closer to the girl than before, but maybe Kara would just leave. Maybe it would just be confirmed that Kara wasn’t who she pretended to be to Lena. Maybe it would just be more reason to believe Lena was an evil Luthor if Lena was aware she was ordering around a Super.

Kara, Supergirl, whoever she was; she was taking up every inch of Lena’s mind for a plethora of reasons, and what she needed more than anything was something to help her who wasn’t the blonde woman, glasses or no. 

She felt sick, and stressed, and scared, and so rather than picking up her phone to dial the blonde woman, she picked up her phone to call someone entirely different. 

The phone rang, and rang, until a familiar woman answered and Lena sighed into the phone.

“It’s been awhile,” Lena said with an attempt to keep the emotion in her voice at bay. “I sort of need you.”

She would tell Kara.

Just not tonight.

—

_**Lena:** I seriously hate you. _

Supergirl had to keep her laugh contained at the message sent by Lena, which had an attached photo of the dozen donuts Kara had snuck into Lena’s office while Lena was in a meeting before Kara left for the day. Lena loved donuts nearly as much as Kara did, whether she wanted to admit it or not, so she was doing her a simple favor.

_**Kara:** My evil mission continues >:) _

_**Lena:** I do one nice thing for you and in return you’re trying to make me go up a size in dresses. _

_**Kara:** No one told me you were so dramatic, Miss Luthor. :) _

_**Lena:** I’m a Luthor, everything I do is extra. _

_**Kara:** Considering you spend every minute of your life in stilettos, that adds up. _

_**Lena:** I’ll have you know i’m wearing wedges right now, Miss Danvers. :) _

_**Kara:** Ohh living on the edge I see _

“Supergirl, Winn,” Alex called loudly as she came striding down the staircase in the DEO, “Vasquez, Peterson, Lopez, Smith, we’ve got an alien to deal with. Let’s go, briefing.” 

Next to her, Winn clapped his hands sharply twice, and said, “You heard the scary lady, chop chop.”

“Winn, watch it,” Alex warned him, a finger raised threateningly in his direction, and he simply raised two hands in surrender. 

Supergirl let the familiarity of the DEO guide her as she stared down at her phone and her conversation with Lena, the woman she just could not quite peel herself away from. 

_**Lena:** You make fun of my dressy clothes but I assure you I wouldn’t look half as good as you do with button downs and khakis, so... _

The text made Supergirl grin despite herself. Lena thought she looked good in her dorky clothes? Before the thought could stir longer she shook her head and chalked it down to Lena being nice. 

_**Kara:** You’re Lena Luthor I think you could make a garbage bag look fashionable but go off ig _

_**Lena:** You flatter me far too much. It’s the weekend, you’re aware? You don’t have to suck up to your boss. _

_**Kara:** I’m talking purely as your friend :) _

The DEO was abuzz with agents running around to get their endless tasks done, assigned mostly by Alex Danvers herself, while Alex, Winn, Supergirl, and a handful of DEO agents circled around the main room for a briefing. As far as Supergirl was aware, there was an alien that they were searching for that had terrorized the northern part of the city before disappearing when DEO agents arrived on scene.

Which, was a dire situation, of course. However, Supergirl was, admittedly, a little distracted.

“So,” Alex said to the lot of them, one hand set firmly on the table and the other hand pointing to one of the monitors that depicted the area the alien had attacked. It was nearly in ruins in some parts, there were cars crushed nearly to the point they didn’t even look like cars anymore, there were broken signs and some buildings that didn’t take so well to the attack, either. “We still don’t know what this thing is. It’s...”

Supergirl stopped listening more accidentally than not as her phone buzzed twice, and she held her phone under the table as Alex went on.

_**Lena:** Kara... _

Attached was a photo. The photo was taken in selfie mode, of Lena with, to Kara’s delight, a puppy. Lena was considerably dressed down compared to her usual outfits, yet still managed to be far more dressy than Kara could imagine comfortable. She was smiling so sweetly at the camera and holding the puppy next to her face, the tiny animal pressing it’s nose to her cheek, and Kara immediately nearly dropped her phone. She stumbled and caught it before it could smack against the floor.

Her stumble caught the attention of her fellow workers and friends.

Alex eyed her carefully, and asked, “Everything okay, Supergirl?”

Supergirl scoffed unconvincingly, “Yeah, totally!” She flashed her wide smile, until Alex lowered her eyes back to the tablet in front of her and continued on with her spiel. With Alex and the others’s attention away from her, Supergirl frantically went back to her phone and the image that she immediately saved to her camera roll. She also decided to set it as the contact photo for Lena, replacing the one she had grabbed off of google of one of Lena’s CatCo photoshoots.

_**Kara:** YOU’RE SO CUTE!!!!!! _

_**Kara:** i mean. the puppy _

_**Kara:** and you are too you’re c _

_**Kara:** wait no _

_**Kara:** what i mean is _

_**Kara:** where did you find a puppy _

_Good save,_ Kara, she told herself. A second later, Lena started typing.

_**Lena:** Lord knows how you manage to ramble even over text... _

Which was sent with a heart and that made Kara grin despite herself.

_**Lena:** The puppy belongs to Jess but if I didn’t work so much I would probably take him for myself _

_**Kara:** You...Should take him anyway...And... Bring him to me.... Just for a visit..... _

_**Lena:** Kara Danvers encouraging thievery? What on earth would our friend in blue say? _

The question made Supergirl grin. If only Lena knew, she thought to herself as she typed.

_**Kara:** I think it’s more dognapping than thievery. And I’m sure she loves puppies and would totally condone it just this once as long as we give him back :)) _

_**Lena:** I think maybe my Luthor genes are rubbing off on you after all. _

_**Kara:** No but PUPPIES!!! _

_**Lena:** What are you doing right now? _

For a moment, Supergirl hesitated with her thumbs hovering just over the touch keyboard of her phone. After all, it was not as if she could tell Lena she was currently at the DEO being (somewhat) briefed on a big bad alien she was going to inevitably fight later. So, she typed something that was not entirely a lie.

_**Kara:** I'm with my sister and Winn. We’re just doing whatever. _

_**Lena:** Ah. So you’re a little too busy for a puppy visit anyway. Duty calls after all. _

The text made Kara’s eyebrows furrow and she squinted at the small words on the screen like maybe she read them incorrectly. 

_**Kara:** What do you mean duty calls??? _

_**Lena:** I mean you should probably get off your phone before Agent Danvers notices. I’ll still be around when you’re not doing “whatever”. _

Sent with the red heart emoji that Kara was definitely beginning to look forward to. However, this text just confused her, it was like Lena was some sort of clairvoyant because a second later—

“Supergirl,” Alex said, and her voice startled Supergirl a bit more than it should have. Supergirl fumbled with her phone under the table until she managed to get her act together and stand straight like she were listening the whole time. “Have you been listening at all?”

“Oh, _yeah,_ totally,” Supergirl said with a scoff as her phone buzzed in her grip and she had to keep herself from checking it. “Really good stuff, there, Agent.” 

Unbelieving, Alex crossed her arms. Every agent at the table was now staring at Supergirl. “Alright, Supergirl,” Alex said with challenge in her tone, “Would you care to repeat what I’ve explained just to make sure everyone got it?”

“Uh,” Supergirl’s brain went dead, “There’s an alien and we gotta stop it. I’ll punch it some and _boom, bam,_ done!” She smiled with confidence, because, really, that was about right. That was the basics of it. It was fine!

“Mhmm,” Alex hummed with her unamused gaze still boring into Supergirl. After a couple of seconds of them just staring each other down, Alex rolled her eyes and said with some tease in her tone, “Text the Luthor on your free time, Supergirl. Or, at least, don’t be so obvious about it.” 

“Uh, totally wasn’t doing that, but okay.” Supergirl defended herself to little avail. A collective chuckle sounded around the small group of agents and Supergirl just laughed it off nervously as she slid her phone away. 

”And,” Alex continued, with an air of amusement slipping through her careful tone, “as for your brilliant plan of just punching the alien, if you were listening you would know I said the alien is even faster than a Kryptonian. I don’t think you’ll simply be walking up to it, Supergirl.”

Supergirl smiled sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders.

Later, after a certain alien was in DEO custody and each agent could breathe a collective sigh of relief, Supergirl stripped from her heroic uniform and into her much less heroic cardigan and khakis. 

Kara flew to a certain place a few hours after all the commotion had went down, with the intent to meet Winn and Alex for their weekly (or sometimes bi or tri-weekly) planned night out. She headed inside, and was greeted with the strange sense of comfort the place brought to her.

It was an alien bar with dark lighting, its fair share of alcoholics, and rowdy customers. Overall, it was not the type of place Kara would typically enjoy. If it were any other bar, she definitely would not come so frequently and so willingly. However, the place made Kara feel like she actually belonged somewhere on this planet. Seeing aliens of all different types, some easily passing as human, some who looked almost human but with horns, claws, or ridges in their skin, some who looked completely different from humans... It made Kara feel hopeful. They were all different, like her, but they could all come here and enjoy themselves and nobody cared about who was different.

Immediately, she saw Winn at their usual table, and he saw her, too. He waved excitedly, apparently eager to get her over to him, and so Kara waved back with just as much gusto before she joined him. Alex hadn’t arrived yet; she had a few small things to attend to at the DEO before she could come.

“Winn,” Kara greeted cheerfully as she sat down, and she commented sincerely, “Awesome job tracking down the alien earlier!” Kara might be brilliant with science, but she could never understand some of the things Winn could do with a computer. 

He grinned cheekily, and shrugged, “It was no big deal. I could do it in my sleep.” Which, Kara could honestly believe. She was glad Winn worked for the DEO, he truly got to use his full potential there. She would never be able to imagine how he had previously been working as a simple IT guy.

“No big deal,” Kara scoffed, “Sure, Winn.” 

Winn shrugged again, before he leaned forward with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “Were you really texting Lena earlier?” He asked, his voice making it obvious that he was holding in laughter, and Kara resisted the urge to get up and leave. “I can’t believe you.”

“I...” Kara stuttered out as she internally debated on whether or not she should make an excuse or lie. But, she just sighed and admitted, “We were texting all day. She’s so...” Unable to find the words, she just threw her hands up and made the verbal equivalent of a keyboard smash as if that perfectly and eloquently explained Lena. 

Winn laughed out loud, and he slapped his hand on the table as he shook his head. “Dude,” He said through his laughter, “you’re seriously into Lena Luthor.” Then, only halfway joking, he asked, “So... Think you could set me up to talk about technology with her? I know L-Corp is really secretive, and... Sometimes I get curious.”

“I don’t even know about half the stuff she works on in her personal lab,” Kara told him with a laugh, “and I literally work there.”

“Fair, fair,” He shrugged, and then he looked at Kara slyly. “I have something to show you that you might like.” He tapped on his shut laptop that was sat on the table in front of him.

Curious, Kara leaned forward and said, “What is it?” In response, Winn slowly, unbearably slowly, opened his laptop. Kara whacked his hand lightly to speed him up. “C’mon, don’t leave me hanging.”

Winn laughed, and opened up his laptop fully. He typed a few things, logging in and then pulling up whatever it was he needed, and then he grinned happily at Kara. ”You know your blog about the one and only Lena Luthor?” He asked her as if she could have possibly forgotten. 

“Duh,” She answered easily. “What about it?”

“Check it out,” Winn said in a near-whisper of cheer as he finally turned his laptop so that Kara could see it. The second her eyes got a glimpse of the screen, her article about Lena pulled up, Kara all but squeaked in disbelief. There was a lot of response, from likes and comments to the little box in the corner Winn had pulled up that said how many people had come onto the website.

“Winn!” Kara exclaimed as she grabbed the laptop and pulled it closer as if she was not seeing it correctly, “Oh my Rao, that’s... That’s a lot.”

Satisfied, Winn nodded hurriedly. “I know!” He said back, and he scooted his seat next to Kara so he could look at the hogged laptop screen and point. “Not gonna lie, there’s some... Rough comments, but there’s a whole lot more that are agreeing with you, and like, complimenting you and stuff.”

“Look at that,” Kara said happily as she pointed at the screen.

“I’m the one who showed you,” Winn reminded her in good nature as he laughed.

Kara scrolled through the comments then, and Winn was right, some were less than appreciated, some were specifically harsh towards Lena and made Kara’s blood boil, but there were tons that were the complete opposite. There were some saying it was about time somebody addressed a different side of the issue and Lena, rather than the typical repetitive spiels about her being a Luthor and undoubtedly behind the attack. There were some applauding Kara’s writing and some that said what she wrote changed their minds, or at least made them question their beliefs, on Lena Luthor being evil.

“What did Lena say about it?” Winn asked as he read the comments of other people with Kara.

Kara looked at him and blinked like she were offended, and she said like it should be obvious, “I’m not showing Lena.” When Winn looked at her with a disbelieving expression, she defended her response with, “I didn’t— I didn’t do it to seem like I’m trying to suck up to my boss or something. I just... Wanted other people to see the Lena I see. And that’s what happened!” She pointed at the screen. 

“But—“ Winn tried, but Kara immediately cut him off.

“No buts, Winn.”

“What’re you guys looking at?” A voice said behind them, and Kara instinctively slammed the laptop shut when she recognized it as her sister, which she immediately regretted because it made it seem a lot worse than it was. 

Winn rolled his eyes, and grabbed his laptop to observe it and make sure Kara didn’t actually smash it. “Smooth, Kara.” He opened it again to inspect the screen for damage. Kara shrugged in apologetic embarrassment.

“Jesus,” Alex huffed as she took a seat next to Kara. She eyed Kara and Winn suspiciously after Kara’s definitely far from low-key freakout. “Winn, what the hell were you showing my sister?” 

Winn gaped, and defended himself, “Oh, sure, blame me!” 

So, Alex turned her attention entirely to Kara, whose face was a bit redder than normal. She stared at Kara in a way that was prompting an explanation. 

Kara held her sister’s gaze silently, trying to challenge it, but gave up with a sigh as she always inevitably did. She motioned for Winn to pull the website back up. “Uh, Winn kinda convinced me to post something I wrote on like, a blog?” She said as if she weren’t entirely sure.

Alex’s lips parted in a silent ‘oh’ for a moment, before she shook her head slightly and asked, “You put something you wrote out there?” At Kara’s slight nod, Alex laughed and wrapped her arm around Kara’s shoulders. “That’s great, Kara! I had to practically beg you to let me read your stuff before.” 

Kara smiled at her sister’s praise. Alex really had nearly begged Kara to let her read the random thing she had written when they were teenagers. Kara would be up at night writing Rao knows what, and Alex had finally given in and hounded Kara until Kara let her read some of it. After a while, Kara would always go to let Alex read whatever she had written. 

Then, her smile turned nervous, and she went on, “The thing is...” She glanced to Winn, who just simply nodded for her to continue. She huffed quietly, and told Alex nervously, “It’s kinda about Lena. And by that I mean it’s entirely about Lena.” She felt Alex’s arm stiffen around her, and she went on with an accidentally louder voice, “But— But there’s so much response to it, that’s what Winn was just showing me— and it’s, it’s a good thing, and—“

“Can I read it?” Alex asked simply.

Surprised, Kara stuttered incoherent nonsense for a moment, before she finally accepted Winn’s attempts to give her the laptop. She slid it to Alex, and Alex took it with no hints as to what was going on in her mind.

Before she even gazed down at the screen, Alex looked to Kara. “Will you go get drinks, Kara?” She asked, “You know all of our usuals.”

The voice she used meant it was more of an order than a question, and Kara needed a second to compose her sputtery self anyway, so she nodded furtively and jumped up from her chair, leaving Alex and Winn. 

Kara headed to the bar, and leaned on the counter next to a big alien with tusks when she got there. “Hi, M’gann,” She greeted the woman behind the bar who was currently drying a glass with a hand towel. She was J’onn’s friend, despite the two of them having more than their fair share of problems after it was revealed that M’gann was, in truth, a white martian. “Or... Megan?” 

M’gann laughed and walked closer to where Kara was standing. “Probably better off with Megan for now,” She told Kara, who nodded her understanding, before she asked, “Let me guess, you’re here with Alex, Winn, and... Maggie, was it?”

Kara gave a smile that was more of a wince, “I actually haven’t seen Maggie in a little while. She and Alex... You know.” 

Realization dawned on M’gann, and she said, “Sorry. Just Alex and Winn, then?”

“Yeah. Can you get—“

“I know Alex’s by heart,” M’gann told her, cutting her off with a chuckle, “She comes here... Often. And I know Winn’s, too. As for you, let me guess, club soda?” 

With a playful shrug, Kara confirmed, “Someone’s gotta be a designated driver and we both know Alex would never.” 

M’gann laughed her agreement before she got to work on getting drinks for the three of them. Kara leaned her weight on the counter as she waited, and she pursed her lips as her gaze drifted to Alex and Winn. Alex was evidently finished reading, though she was still looking at the laptop, but she and Winn were talking.

Despite herself, Kara lowered her led-lined glasses just enough so that she could overhear the both of them. 

“...I don’t hate it.” Alex said quietly to Winn as she scrolled on the laptop. “I mean, I don’t hate Kara and Lena. Together. Entirely.”

“What do you mean?” Winn asked with a hum.

“I mean,” Alex all but hissed, before she sighed and calmed herself down. She waved to the screen, “Look at this. Kara would never in a million years post anything she’s written for anybody to see, and the thing that finally pushed her to was Lena. And you said Lena had nothing to do with it, right, she has no idea Kara even did this?” 

Winn nodded.

“So... Maybe all this is good for Kara.” Alex said slowly. “I just... Don’t want her to get hurt by it. Obviously she’s very...”

“Passionate about the subject,” Winn added somewhat jokingly, and Alex made a short hum in agreement. 

“And you know Kara can get hurt easy... You met Lena,” Alex said suddenly to Winn, and she broke her eyes away from the laptop screen to look at him, “Obviously, Kara thinks she literally hung the stars, or something. But, did you think she was... I don’t know, nice?”

Winn thought for a moment. Kara watched him carefully, trying to peg what exactly was going through his head. Eventually, he said, “I didn’t get to talk to her, really, or anything like that. She and Supergirl were kinda... Invested in each other’s company, I guess.” That comment made Kara’s face go red. “But, I can tell you, I don’t think the woman I met would do anything like Lex Luthor did. And, she really does treat Kara nicely, you should hear Kara talk about her, I think it would be stupid to say Lena doesn’t honestly think of Kara as a friend and not just an employee. And, she definitely showed no bad intentions towards Supergirl. Seriously, it was the opposite. Girl was like... Blown away.”

Alex thought about what Winn said in silence. Kara couldn’t read her expression. “I promised Kara I’d give Lena a chance,” Alex said finally, and she looked back at the screen and Kara’s article. “I’m not gonna lie, my sister is really good at convincing people. Even I’m pretty convinced after reading that.”

“So...?” Winn prompted.

“Kara likes Lena, doesn’t she?” Alex asked, and then clarified, “As in... A bit more then she should?” 

Winn’s gaze darted over to Kara and Kara nearly popped her neck in her attempt to act like she was not eavesdropping. After a split second he turned his attention back to Alex, and he said, “Yeah. A lot.” 

Alex rapped her fingers on the table. “Well,” She said with a shrug, “I’m glad she at least made a friend in Lena. Other than the fact we’re clearly gonna have to have a discussion about not texting during mission briefings.” 

That got Winn to laugh a bit loudly. “I think it’s cute,” He added his two cents, “you can’t say that Lena’s worse than that one dude Kara dated last year.”

Alex crinkled her nose in disgust. “Ew. Yeah, Lena’s better than that guy even if she does turn out to be a murderer. Which says a lot.” The comment nearly made Kara laugh. She wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Here you go,” M’gann said, snapping Kara out of her eavesdropping. Kara slammed her glasses back onto her face fully, and turned around to see M’gann holding three drinks. A club soda, a rum, and some colorful concoction of alcohol that Kara had no idea the name of. Winn was going through a phase. “Need any help?”

“Nah, thanks, Megan,” Kara told her cheerfully and took the drinks from her. She cradled one in the crook of her elbow between her arm and her chest and held the other two with her hands. “I’ll probably be back in, like, five minutes for Alex.”

With the drinks in her hold, Kara made her way back to her shared table with Alex and Winn. She was not oblivious to how Winn cleared his throat and nodded in Kara’s direction to let Alex know she was coming. 

Kara set the drinks down in front of their respective owners and took a sip of her own club soda. 

“Nice job with the... Blog, Kara,” Alex told her honestly, and it took all of Kara’s self control to not burst with thankfulness towards her sister for being so much better about Lena. It really did mean a lot to her. “Your writing is wonderful, as always. And, the response is so good. Have you shown Mom?”

With a nervous laugh, Kara shook her head. “No, do you think Eliza would even want to read that?”

“She would probably print it out and put it on the fridge,” Alex said with a roll of her eyes as she went for her drink. “You know her.”

Kara laughed heartily. “I don’t think she would go that far,” She countered, but then she softened and said, “Thanks, Alex. For... Being supportive.”

Alex smiled gently. “It’s about time, huh?”

“Definitely,” Winn butt in, and he gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. “It was getting scary with you guys at each other’s throats. Kara, you might be all,” He flexed his arms as an allusion to Kara’s superpowers, “but, man, I thought Alex was gonna give you hell. I think the whole DEO was scared.”

Alex eyed him dangerously. “You and the other agents better not have been setting up betting pools again.”

Winn raised both hands as a sign of innocence.

—

“Both of you suck,” Alex said competitively more than a few drinks later as she scored another few points in their second game of pool. She stepped back and swung the cue back and forth in her hand as she looked between Winn and Kara.

Winn remained unmoving, so Kara laughed and pushed him forward. She pushed the cue she held into his hands and encouraged, “Come on, you can do it.” 

“Can I?” Winn asked rhetorically, and gripped the cue so tightly his knuckles were white as he stared at the pool table.

“Can you?” Alex asked challengingly and threateningly, and Kara had to shoot her a glare that meant she needed to calm down. 

With an annoyed huff, Winn shuffled forward and raised his pool cue. He shifted it around in his grip until he was satisfied, and he aimed the tip of it to the little white ball on the table. Kara gave an encouraging cheer to get him hopefully hyped enough to actually be able to do it this time. 

Winn pushed the cue forward quickly, and the ball flung off of the table and went surging to the other side of the bar where it collided with the wall, narrowly missing an alien’s head. 

“Sorry!” Winn yelled, and he then yelped loudly as the white ball came zipping back at them, thrown by the irritated alien. 

Kara caught the ball in her palm before it could inevitably smack Winn on the forehead, and she stared disbelievingly at the alien who threw it. “Dude, seriously?!” She yelled across the bar, and the alien just shrugged before going back to his business. 

Alex was simply laughing at Winn’s continued inability to hit the ball correctly. 

“You’ll do better next time,” Kara assured him and gave a supportive thumbs up, but he just gave her the pool cue. He proceeded to sit down in the nearest chair and nearly pout as he crossed his arms and watched Kara. He would have to eventually get better, Kara figured.

“Let’s go, Kara,” Alex said, “give me a challenge.”

“Sure thing,” Kara laughed back. Alex was good, but she could definitely beat her if she tried. She readied herself with the pool cue, leaning down slightly and shutting one eye to focus on her mission. She adjusted to where she needed the cue to be pointing, and she was getting ready to go, when—

Her phone went off with the text tone she had set specifically for Lena, and Kara instinctively jumped so quickly she heard a cracking noise from the pool cue in her hand. She grabbed her phone from her pocket before she noticed the crack running down the wood of the pool cue. Alex and Winn both eyed her, and she laughed nervously as she slid her phone away without looking at Lena’s text. 

“Um... Sorry,” Kara apologized, her eyes glued to the pool cue she had more or less ruined. That was definitely not the greatest thing in the world, she was going to have to have an awkward conversation with M’gann later. “My bad.”

Alex gave an exasperated sigh and set the drink she had clutched in her hand down on the edge of the pool table. “Okay, that’s it,” She said to Kara’s confusion, and she pointed at Kara’s pocket where her phone was deposited. “We are not continuing with this texting shit if you’re gonna shatter whatever’s in your hands. Invite the Luthor to game night or something and get it over with.” 

“What?” Kara asked, taken aback by Alex. “Why would you want me to invite her to game night?” The fact it was Alex of all people telling her to invite Lena to an event where Alex herself would be was the single most surprising thing Kara had heard.

Winn came to Alex’s side, surprisingly considering Alex was very heated towards him in pool, and he said, “You really should just ask her to hang out. She would say yes, dude.” 

Kara blinked and set the broken cue down on the table. “I can’t— You know I can’t do that,” She told them with a bewildered expression like the idea was not even fathomable, “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Alex asked her with an expression that showed she was not buying it. 

“Because— Because she’s my boss, Alex!” Kara gaped. 

“Oh, so you’ve been texting with her all day on your day off about work?” Alex asked despite knowing the very obvious answer, “And you got so excited to text about work that you cracked a pool cue?” 

Winn snorted and added, “Not to mention you had no idea what was happening during the briefing because you were texting her.” 

Baffled, Kara just stared at her sister and Winn blankly. “I... Still, I can’t just... Ask her to come to my house for game night.” Surely, that would be far too much of a stretch. Texting a little bit was different. 

“Then ask her to come here one of these nights,” Alex countered with a shrug, “If you say she’s nothing like her brother then she should be fine with an alien bar, right?”

Kara chose to ignore the fleeting hints of Alex still trying to get over her beliefs of Lena. Alex was trying, after all. “I can’t...” Kara sputtered, and then in an attempt to flee the conversation she reached for Alex’s cue, “Give me yours. I’m gonna beat you this time.”

Alex sighed but handed over her cue. “This conversation isn’t over, sis.” She warned, as Kara pursed her lips and got back into position to play the game. 

—

With all the response to her personally published article about her undeniably wonderful boss and friend, Kara could not help but feel all the hope and cheer she normally had become tenfold. It was difficult for her to not be happy about it, and she had the strongest urge to see Lena after a weekend of not seeing her at all.

The elevator opened with a cheerful ding, and Kara stepped out with one black coffee in hand and a genuine smile plastered onto her face. She was perfectly ready to begin her day with knocking on Lena’s door to give her the morning coffee she always needed, but—

The second Kara’s was out of the elevator, Lena scurried from Kara’s office. Not from her own office, but from Kara’s. Lena stopped when she saw Kara, and she put on a nervous smile.

“Kara, good morning,” She said in that lustrous voice of hers, as she stood straighter and acted like she had not just been in Kara’s office for whatever reason. “Is that my coffee?” 

“Uh, yeah,” Kara said like she was somehow unsure, but then she just nodded and held her hand out for Lena to take the cup, “One black coffee. It’s obviously not for me, I can’t stand black coffee.” To make her point, she shuddered and made a silly face, her nose scrunched up and her lips pulled tight. “So, sure, I guess you can have it.” The unfiltered laugh that came from Lena made Kara break character and she just dissolved into a dorky grin. 

Lena took the cup of coffee from Kara with a truly appreciative smile, and Kara found herself just staring into Lena’s enrapturing eyes. Lena held the cup with one hand, using the other to fiddle with the clanky metal bracelets on her wrist, as she simply looked at Kara with nothing more than gentleness in her features. Kara was honest to Rao fascinated with it, with the unreadable emotion in Lena’s eyes, though this time whatever it was, it was nothing but positive. 

“Thank you,” Lena said suddenly, breaking the rather comfortable silence that neither of them had actually meant to have, and Kara noticed the faint hint of red in her pale cheeks. “I have some emails to send before my meeting at 10, I’ll call if I need anything?” Lena excused herself.

“Cool,” Kara said with a nod, and Lena started walking away towards her office. “Oh, also, don’t forget that man from Amertek and you have an appointment for later!” She reminded.

Lena stopped in her tracks, and based on her deer-in-headlights look, it seemed she had either forgotten completely, or had come to an important realization. Kara did not think Lena was one to forget entirely, though. 

It only took a second for Lena to bring back her coolness, and she said, “Actually, something else came up, with the project I was going to show to him. I’m not going through with it.” She had a look of sureness, and she asked, “Cancel, and let him know I won’t be rescheduling, please?”

Kara nodded, and Lena finally retreated to her office with a final smile shot towards Kara and a grin towards Kara’s own office. _Right,_ Kara remembered, she had caught Lena coming from her office, which was most certainly a new event. 

Curious, Kara went to her own office and opened the door Lena had so eagerly shut. She flipped the light on, and the second the room flooded with the white light, Kara’s heart stopped unbelievingly. Her eyes widened, her lips parted, and she struggled to figure out what exactly was going on. 

On her desk, there were several pink boxes that Kara recognized from the donut shop she loved, which was surprising enough on it’s own, but... Her spacey, cute office was absolutely covered. Her office was quite literally _overflowing_ with flowers. Kara could not even count the amount of bouquets, could not even comprehend the splashes of different colored flowers. 

Kara dropped her bag onto the floor, turned on her heel, and walked briskly to Lena’s office. She pushed open the door with an incredulous look plastered onto her face, and she was sure she looked silly, but by Rao what on Earth was this? Lena looked up from her desk at Kara, and she smiled widely the second she saw Kara’s face. 

“I— Lena, whats—“ She struggled to come up with words as she gestured helplessly to the hallway, to her office. “Lena?” 

With a soft laugh, Lena stood up and came to join Kara at the door. She set her hand on Kara’s elbow, leading her gently back to Kara’s office, looking rather satisfied with herself.

“What— What is all this?” Kara finally sputtered out as the two of them reached her office and Lena promptly let go of Kara to walk up to Kara’s desk. Lena simply picked up the one bouquet that was set on Kara’s desk rather than in various spots around the entire room, which happened to be a bundle of pretty roses. Lena hummed in satisfaction as she took the few steps she needed to be back in front of Kara, and she personally presented that bouquet to Kara. Still unsure of what all this was about, Kara took the flowers shakily, cradling them to her chest as she stared at Lena, and instantly, the sweet smell of the roses hit her nose.

Lena bit her lip nervously, though she was smiling, and after a beat she said, “I saw what you wrote about me.” Apparently, Kara must have looked as shocked as she felt at this, because then Lena laughed and said, “You didn’t think I wouldn’t see it, did you? Actually, your friend emailed me the link. I didn’t quite realize who _schott.throughtheheart@gmail.com_ was at first, but _karadanvers.com_ had me rather intrigued to click the link.”

Winn. Winn purposely sent the link to Lena and Lena had read what Kara had written about her. Unable to help herself, Kara immediately felt nearly embarrassed and almost guilty, and she barked an apology before she could help herself, “I’m sorry if it’s weird I wrote about you, and posted it— I just— I kept seeing what everyone was saying about you and I was so angry and Winn suggested it and I thought somebody should say the— the darn truth about you rather than all those lies about— But I’m sorry if— I don’t know—“

Lena raised her hand, then, which halted Kara from her tangent. “Kara, Kara,” She said easily, nearly amused and her tone adoring as she motioned around the room and asked reasonably, “does _this_ look like I’m upset with you?”

The lovely smell of the roses tickled her nose as Kara answered with embarrassment, “...I guess not.”

“Believe me, I’m very far from being upset,” Lena assured her, as she fiddled with her own hands absentmindedly. “What you wrote... Well, it was probably the nicest thing about me I’ve seen,” Lena admitted, and Kara heard the amount of sincerity in her voice and she very nearly dropped the bouquet so she could hug Lena, but she contained herself. “Usually, the kindness I see about myself goes down to me maybe wearing a halfway decent dress, but even then I’m criticized for, I don’t know, wearing ugly heels to match, or something.”

Kara’s eyebrows immediately knit together as her stare dropped down to Lena’s heels. “What? Okay, I’m no fashionista, but _what?_ Your heels might be insensible but when have they ever been ugly?” Kara hated heels with all her heart but, Rao, if Lena didn’t look good in them. If she weren’t so concerned for the Luthor’s comfort, she would absolutely never complain about her wearing stilettos.

This made Lena laugh again as she shook her head quickly, “Kara, that’s not the point. And remind me to argue with you on the sensibility of my shoes later.”

Eyes snapping back up to Lena’s, Kara grinned sheepishly, “Oh, right.” Maybe she liked the way Lena looked in heels a little too much. 

“But... Just,” Lena continued with her nerves evident in her voice, like she were not actually positive Kara was telling the truth in her writing. That just made Kara want to hug her tightly even more. Being around Lena was beginning to be a challenge. “What you wrote made me feel like you and Supergirl both made me feel when it all happened. Hopeful. And, this is the absolute least I can do to thank you for it all.” Lena motioned the the room as a whole. “And, I got your favorite donuts for you.” She added as she pointed to the several boxes on Kara’s desk.

Kara laughed breathlessly, her cheeks hurting from her smile. “How do you expect me to eat all that, Lena?” She asked, knowing full well she could truly eat the entirety of the donut shop’s stock and still have room for pizza. 

A spark of knowing came to Lena’s eyes as she crossed her arms and gave Kara an amused look. “Something tells me you’ll find a way,” She said like she was in on a secret Kara wasn’t, “Kara Danvers.”

“You’ll at least share with me, right?” Kara insisted, and she could not possibly help herself any longer. She took a step forward and adjusted the bouquet so she could hold it with one arm. With her free hand, she held Lena’s, and she couldn’t ignore the way Lena’s heart jumped at it before Lena melted and smiled in a dopey way. 

“Maybe,” Lena offered teasingly, “I’m still not convinced you’re not trying to ruin my diet forever, so watch yourself.”

“I’m absolutely trying,” Kara said with a laugh, “I think it’s working.” 

Lena rolled her lovely eyes as she shook her head at Kara. Then, she bit her lip again, and Kara felt her chest swell with adoration as Lena played with her hands absentmindedly, rubbing and touching Kara’s fingers like she weren’t actually entirely aware she was doing it. 

“I don’t understand it,” Lena admitted in a hushed tone, and Kara gave her an encouraging look for her to continue her thought. “I mean, I don’t understand you. How you could write all that about me, let alone write all that and put your damn name on it for everyone to associate you with the most hated woman in the city.”

Kara frowned, but Lena went on with her thought.

“And... I don’t understand how you make me feel like everything you wrote is true,” Lena said, “you’re singing me praises that I’m not even sure I’ve earned at this point. But, you make me feel like it might be true. I don’t trust easily, you know, and yet since you walked into my office I’ve had a harder time trying to keep my head on straight than I’ve had trying to trust you. I don’t know what it is about you, but you just make me trust you helplessly.” 

Lena looked sheepish, then, but she continued anyway, “In any case... If for whatever reason it’s something you need to hear...I just want to tell you that Supergirl might have saved me, but Kara Danvers,” She squeezed Kara’s hand, “You are my hero.“ 

Despite herself, Kara let out a nervous laugh, and she knew that her face must be completely red at this point. “I didn’t really do anything,” She argued, fixing her glasses with her free hand, “I— I mean, I just wrote some stuff about you, that’s like, nothing compared to— to Supergirl saving you, and she can, like, punch through walls and... Stuff.”

Amused, Lena raised an eyebrow, but she simply shook her head at Kara’s argument. “Supergirl is very... Cool,” Lena acknowledged, with a sort of hungry look in her eyes as she stared Kara down that Kara could not quite explain to herself. She went on, and said, “But, you’re Kara Danvers. And I happen to like _Kara Danvers_ very much.”

“I... Thank you, Lena, I mean... I...” Kara felt strangely happy by this. Obviously, she and Supergirl were one in the same, but Lena made it sound like plain old Kara Danvers were just as good, if not better, than Supergirl. Forcing her brain to function, Kara stepped forward and said in a tone that meant she was being honest, “You said you didn’t understand. You don’t understand how I could write that about you and put my name on it.” 

With a breathy, somewhat forced laugh, Lena clasped her own hands together. “Yes,” She confirmed, and said with some guilt, “I saw some of the... Harsher comments, after all.”

“I don’t care about that,” Kara said immediately, but then stuttered as she backtracked, “I mean, I do care, because nobody should have the right to insult you, Lena, but I don’t care if anybody thinks I’m dumb or something because of what I wrote about you. Lena, literally just... Look at this, for God’s sake.” She waved around the room.

Lena’s gaze flicked around before meeting back with Kara’s. 

“You... You literally flooded my office with flowers,” Kara stammered out, still rather in shock Lena actually did that, “You called me when all that trouble with Supergirl was happening to apologize to me for the trouble. You literally apologized to me when you were the one being blamed for a crime! You rebuilt this whole company because you wanted to make it good, you built a whole children’s hospital, you deal with— with jerks who see you as less than what you are everyday and you just keep proving that you’re better than any of them.” 

“Kara...” Lena said simply, but before she could say anything else, Kara continued with the point she had in mind.

“What I mean to say,” Kara said with confidence, sure in all her words, as she looked into those lovely eyes and listened to the gentle, quick thud of Lena’s heart, “is that you’re amazing. You’re amazing and I’m lucky to have gotten the chance to know you past the terrible media you get. I get to know the real you, and you’re nothing like what any of those people say. So... That’s why I wrote my own story about you, that’s why I’m not hesitant to put my name on that— to, how you put it, associate myself with you.” With a laugh, Kara shrugged as she looked at the flowers, and said, “I should be thanking you, not the other way around. You’ve done so much good for this city, Lena.”

To Kara’s awe, Lena truly looked surprised with all of Kara’s words. To render the Luthor speechless was a feat, to Kara. Something about it was satisfying. It felt like, maybe, she truly got through to Lena. Lena’s lips were parted just so, her hands were clamped together tightly, and if Kara didn’t know better she would say Lena looked like she might have tears in her eyes.

“Trust me, you don’t have to keep flattering me to keep your job,” Lena joked, and rubbed the bottom of her eyes with her hand and sniffed slightly, so maybe Kara wasn’t delusional to think Lena was a bit emotional. Considering the family Kara had read so much about in the media, it was definitely not a stretch to assume that not many people were telling Lena any of that.

“I know,” Kara said with a shrug and a smile. “I’m not just saying all that, you know. I... Honestly didn’t mean for you to even read what I wrote, it never crossed my mind you might actually see it.”

Lena set her hand on Kara’s shoulder, gently squeezing. “I’m glad I did,” She admitted quietly, truthfully to Kara. Then, her voice normal again, she said with a smile, “Thank you for everything. And, um...” Her head turned over her shoulder, and Kara got it.

“I’ll save you some donuts,” Kara said cheerfully and victoriously. 

“Just one,” Lena said hurriedly. “We can sit out on my balcony at lunch. I do actually have some work to do, sadly, so...See you, Kara.”

“See ya, boss,” Kara grinned, and Lena gave her shoulder a final squeeze before she walked past Kara and out of the office. Kara found herself missing the contact with Lena already as she stared helplessly at the gifts all around her. 

With not much of another thought, Kara grabbed her phone from her pocket, and stepped back to the doorway. She raised the phone up with the camera open, and took a picture of her pretty office full of flowers and boxes of donuts. 

She sent the picture to Alex, with the caption, “So... I came to work to find my office like this.” She supposed she just needed to tell somebody who wasn’t Lena so she knew she wasn’t dreaming or something.

A minute later, Alex texted back.

_**Alex:** ...Lena Luthor did that? _

_**Kara:** Winn sent her what I wrote. This was her thanking me. _

As Kara went to sit down at her desk, her phone buzzed with three messages from Alex.

_**Alex:** Oh my god fucking h _

_**Alex:** that’s not _

_**Alex:** I’m done. I’m seriously done. Ask her to game night or something. Nobody just FILLS someone’s office with FLOWERS to just THANK them. Nobody. Hold on. _

A minute later, Kara received a text from Winn.

_**Winn:** SHE DID WHAT!!!! Tell me Alex isn’t kidding!!! _

_**Kara:** Lena filled my office with flowers and got me donuts _

_**Winn:** k a R a _

A selfie followed, the picture showing Winn and Alex at the DEO with the most unbelieving expressions on the planet.

_**Winn:** Alex wants me to tell you that it’s 3 against 1 so now you have to. her words. grow some balls _

_**Kara:** 3??? _

_**Winn:** Alex told agent vasquez and she agrees that filling a girl’s office with flowers is a little much even for a rich lady _

A picture came through a second later of Agent Vasquez with a thumbs up sign and a grim expression on her face. Kara immediately felt a flash of embarrassment— She absolutely did not need the entire DEO knowing Supergirl had a crush on Lena Luthor. She made a mental note to scold Alex and Winn on that later.

Kara set her still buzzing phone facedown on her desk, and opened a box to grab a donut. She leaned back in her chair, took a bite of the delicious strawberry pastry, and looked around her office at the pretty flowers, inhaled the mixed scent of all the sweet smells coming together. 

Lena was the single most wonderful person Kara had known. It was then that Kara realized just how screwed she was.

She really, really, really liked Lena Luthor. 

—

A few days later, Kara got to L-Corp with the intention of asking Lena Luthor to join her at her apartment for game night. It so happened that Alex, Winn, J’onn, and James were coming, which left them with an odd number. That was the reasoning Kara used to defend her choice to herself. Inviting Lena would benefit the whole game night, she told herself.

Kara was so focused on getting to Lena’s office and asking her before she lost her nerve that she didn’t notice Lena was on the phone. She walked in to catch the end of Lena’s sentence with whoever she was talking to.

“Besides, I’m her boss— What the hell do you mean that’s happened before?” Lena spoke into the phone with the casual tone she had only with some people. In fact, Kara had not yet heard her use that tone with anyone other than her and Supergirl, so she was left a bit surprised. “Even then, I can’t just— Kara!” Lena looked shocked and maybe embarrassed as Kara entered her office, and she said into her phone quickly, “I’ll call you later.”

Immediately feeling as embarrassed as Lena looked, Kara stepped back with the intent of leaving. “Sorry, I should’ve knocked,” She said immediately, “I didn’t realize you were on the phone.”

Despite the obvious appalled look she had, Lena shook her head until she got it together. “No, it’s alright,” Lena assured and waved her hand until Kara stepped back inside and let the door shut behind her. “It wasn’t an important call anyway, I was just... Talking about some things with a friend.”

“A friend?” Kara asked despite herself.

“Just a friend, Kara,” Lena said in amusement, “I didn’t take you as a gossip-column type of girl.” 

Kara gaped for a moment, before defending herself, “No, I didn’t mean... I just meant...” She sighed in defeat. “I dunno.”

Lena laughed. “She’s coming to National City with her daughter in a couple of days, actually,” Lena told her and Kara cherished how fond Lena sounded of the both of them. “I...” Lena glanced at Kara like there was more to the story, “I was feeling a little lost about something and she’s basically the personification of my self-control, so hopefully she’ll be able to help me figure some things out.”

“I... Hope so, too,” Kara told Lena, and added honestly, “You can come to me about anything, too, you know that?”

Lena smiled genuinely. “I know,” She said happily, and then she told Kara, “I can’t wait for you to meet her when she comes. I think you’ll like her.”

Kara grinned in response, “How could I not like her if you like her?” 

Lena waved her hand again, prompting Kara to join her at her desk. Kara did exactly that; she walked forward until she was right in front of Lena’s desk and she clasped her hands together tightly.

“So, what made you rush in so excitedly, Kara?” Lena asked her, then, one perfect eyebrow raised. That alone was nearly enough to make Kara lose her nerve. “Something on your mind?”

Swallowing her nerves, Kara managed to say, “Yeah, actually.” She went from fidgeting with her hands to picking at the button on the bottom of her shirt. It also felt like she suddenly forgot how to speak the entire English language. “I guess I was just... I don’t know. I was thinking that, maybe... Well, maybe, like...” 

Amused, Lena chuckled lowly and told her, “Come on, Kara,” She tilted her head just so as she smiled and said, “I don’t bite.”

“I do sometimes,” Kara joked without really meaning to, and barely registered the surprised look on Lena’s face before she tried to backtrack. “Anyway what I mean to say is that...” Literally all she had to do was explain they would have an odd number at game night and that she would love to have Lena there. No— Wait— she would like to have Lena there. No— It would be pretty cool to have Lena there. “I...”

Lena seemed beyond amused by Kara’s inability to just get out what she wanted to say.

Eventually, Kara sighed in defeat, and rather than asking Lena to come to game night, she asked, “Um, do you want me to go get you some breakfast?” Her shoulders slumped and her gaze fell from Lena to the floor at her disappointment in herself.

Lena’s eyes showed that she was very certain that was not what Kara was trying to say. “All that trouble just for that?” She asked despite knowing the answer, and Kara watched as she bit her lip for a moment while she thought. “Well, to answer that question, no. I do, however, have something I’d like to talk to you about.”

Attempting to mask her disappointment, Kara asked curiously, “That usually doesn’t lead to anything good...?” 

With a small smile, Lena stood up from her desk and walked to the side of the room. “On the contrary,” She said as she opened a cabinet under the counter and pulled an object out of it, “I think you’ll be rather pleased by this.” 

When she turned around and the object in her hands was clear, Kara’s heart caught in her throat. “That’s your alien detection device, isn’t it?” She asked as she gazed at the little computer-mouse-like object cradled in Lena’s hands. “I gotta admit I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“Don’t worry,” Lena assured her as she set her thumb on the scanner pad, “This is... More of an empty shell than anything else at this point.” True to her word, the device didn’t react to her thumbprint. There was no light, green or red, and in fact the device reacted in no way at all. Lena trailed over to her little office couch and she sat, looking at Kara expectantly.

Kara rushed to join her, unintentionally sitting so closely her thighs were brushed against Lena’s. “I don’t get it,” She admitted to her boss, her gaze locked on the sleeping device still, before she moved her gaze up to meet Lena’s. For whatever reason, Lena was looking at her so gently.

“The meeting I had planned the other day with Amertek,” Lena continued after a moment, “I had scheduled that a few weeks ago to discuss partnering with them to sell this device.” She motioned to the little white device in her hand, and Kara felt immediately scared to hear about that device going on the market for the world. 

“Lena—“

“Let me finish, Kara,” Lena stopped her gently. “...When I showed you this device the first time,” She said, “I realized it had been... Mysteriously broken. The insides were practically melted, Lord knows why.” Something about the way Lena said it sounded like she did actually know, and for some reason it was frightening.

Kara pursed her lips guiltily. 

“I did, however, manage to fix it,” Lena told Kara, “I perfected it even further, actually. Then, I scheduled a meeting with Amertek and I had been waiting since to get this device out on the market.” 

Then, Lena set her hand on top of Kara’s, and gazed at her knowingly. “Relax,” She said calmly, and before Kara could try to find a reason to relax, Lena gave her one. “You cancelled the meeting for me, remember? And, I don’t intend to reschedule, at all.”

This took Kara by surprise and she felt the knot in her stomach loosen in the slightest bit. “Why?” Kara asked immediately, shifting so that she was turned more towards Lena. “You were so set on that device.” Lena had been so completely determined that that particular device would make her company money and that it was the right of humans to be able to know. What on Earth could have changed her mind?

Lena looked at Kara carefully as she admitted, “You were right.” She took a deep breath, before she set the device on the coffee table in front of them to make her point that she didn’t need it. “You were right, Kara. Aliens deserve to be able to have their privacy, their freedom.”

Kara blinked dumbly, truly just taken aback by all of this. Reaching for Lena’s hand after Lena pulled away, Kara asked, “Not that it’s a bad thing, but what made you change your mind?” 

“Well, I...” Lena trailed, her eyes trailing down to look at her hand in Kara’s. “I’ve been thinking, and I realized that... Some aliens might get hurt, or killed, if they were exposed. And, you’re right, not all aliens are bad. I’ve seen that firsthand with Supergirl.” Her gaze swept back up to meet Kara’s pointedly. “She’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, human or alien.”

To her confusion, Lena squeezed Kara’s hand as she continued, looking at Kara like her words held a deeper meaning.

“And, say Supergirl has a secret identity of some sort. If someone were to figure out that secret identity was alien, was Supergirl, she would constantly be in danger,” Lena explained lowly. 

“That... Makes sense,” Kara agreed quietly.

“Not to mention, brother dearest has done enough harm to aliens, and honestly, this device is exactly something that he would want,” Lena added dryly, and slipped her hand out of Kara’s hold as she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Which, in itself, means the device is a terrible idea. In short, I’m quite sure I can find ways to make money and help people rather than cause somebody to get hurt just because they happen to be from another planet.”

“That’s... That’s wonderful, Lena,” Kara breathed, feeling a surge of hope in her heart. This was the biggest relief she could have thought of, and it had never even crossed her mind that Lena might drop the project completely. Especially not because of her, because of her and Supergirl. “You absolutely can find something else, I’m sure of it.”

“So,” Lena told her then, and she sat up straighter, “You’re the only person who has heard anything of this device, and I’ve taken care to get rid of the blueprints, so you don’t have to worry about this particular device sweeping the markets anytime soon, especially not because of L-Corp.” 

“Thank you,” Kara said before she could think about her words, “Seriously, thank you, Lena. It... It really means a lot that you aren’t going through with it. I— I mean, it’ll mean a lot to all the aliens out there! Even if they don’t know it. You know?” She sighed quietly in exasperation at herself, but then she pursed her lips and decided to say, “And Lena?”

“Hm?”

Kara inhaled slowly through her nose as she thought. She breathed out slowly, before she decided to keep going, “I don’t think you were completely wrong, either. I mean, you just meant to help humans out. I can understand that. There are some bad aliens who mean to cause harm, I’ve seen them— Well, I’ve seen my sister after she’s dealt with them. Some of them are scary.” 

Lena nodded shortly, before she countered with a smile, “But there are also bad humans out there, and we’re not exposing the secrets of every human just because some happen to be disgusting, so...” She finished with a shrug.

“Okay, fair point,” Kara said with a laugh. “Seriously, though. Don’t think that I thought you were bad at all for inventing that. You had good intentions.”

Hesitantly, Lena straightened her posture even more and turned her body more towards Kara as she clasped her hands together. She had a gleam if hope in her eyes, and Kara looked at her in anticipation. “Speaking of good intentions,” Lena said with the corner of her lips quirking into a smile, “I’ve been working on something for the past few days, and I hope you’ll be as honest with me as you were with the alien detection device. I really want your input.”

“I’m, well, uh,” Kara stuttered for a moment before she shifted and said more surely, “Of course, Lena. What is it?” She truly wasn’t sure what to expect. What could she want Kara’s input on, and after trashing her alien detection device? 

Lena bit her lip again, her teeth leaving a mark in her red lipstick, which Kara’s gaze got stuck to for a second. “I was thinking about aliens, and how they’re in danger from people like... Like my brother. Which, lead me to think about how a lot of them don’t have the ability to look like a human if they need to pass for safety.” She chewed on her lip for a moment more, “Some look... Amazingly human, to the point I would have never guessed. I’m aware some have the ability to shape-shift. But, I’ve also seen the ones who can’t pass so well. The ones with... Horns, blue skin, claws, you name it.”

“Where are you going with this?” Kara questioned with a somewhat nervous laugh. 

“I thought, what if there was a device that could... Alter the appearance of somebody. For instance, an alien, so that they could appear human.” Lena explained, and Kara took note of that familiar glance of excitement in her eyes and the way her heart was beating a tad quicker than usual. “I’ve been working on something like that, an image inducer. I think it could be useful for aliens that need to pass in order to be safe. It would be... Completely functional for whatever the alien needs. It will be able to be turned off or on whenever, the appearance will be able to be chosen, and it’ll be entirely simple to use.” Her expression turned almost shy as she asked, “...So, Kara? What do you think?”

Kara was speechless. 

She hadn’t truly given much thought to it like Lena had. She hadn’t ever really thought about how she looked so human, while most aliens could never easily get by in life on Earth without everybody knowing what they are. Kara passed as a human without any true effort other than simply not making use of her powers.

A part of her thought that a device like that would be forcing aliens to hide who they are, rather than embrace who they are. 

But then again, there were situations where an alien would need to look human if they wanted to be totally safe. Even walking down the street could prove dangerous for an alien. Kara had, regrettably, seen the aftermath of xenophobic humans ganging up on innocent aliens in alleyways and the like.

And Lena hadn’t at all meant it in a way that was to force aliens into hiding. Lena had put more thought into it than Kara ever had. She had never considered how dangerous it was for the other aliens since she herself would never have the problem of being exposed by her appearance. 

“That’s...” Kara couldn’t fathom how Lena was trying so hard to do something helpful just for aliens, “Lena, that’s actually kind of amazing. You could do that? Make a device that changes someone’s appearance temporarily?” 

“Sort of like a device that allows shape-shifting,” Lena nodded, “Except it’s just an image inducer. It’s like a projection, almost, except you won’t be able to tell at all that it isn’t real. I think it could really help some people.” 

“Wow...”

“And, Kara, I don’t want you to think I’m just trying to force aliens into looking like humans, just to... Act like Earth is only for humans, or anything like that,” Lena said suddenly, her voice catching on itself, “I’m really not. I just know that our country is still dangerous for aliens, even with the alien amnesty act, and especially with that. With that act in place, more and more aliens are thinking it’s safe to be out, but we aren’t there yet. Aliens get hurt everyday by humans. I just think this might help prevent some of that, might help make things easier for aliens.”

“Lena,” Kara stopped her, and set her hand on Lena’s knee to make her point. “I think you’re brilliant.” 

That was apparently the answer Lena had been hoping desperately to hear, because she smiled so beautifully that Kara absolutely could not believe anyone could think she was evil. 

“Really?” Lena asked like she wasn’t sure she had correctly heard Kara, “I think it could be helpful to a lot of them.”

“You... Make a really good point,” Kara admitted, “I hadn’t... Really given much thought to something like that.” 

Lena laughed breathily, her relief showing itself, and she gave Kara another hopeful glance. “I was also thinking... Maybe you could help me on it,” She offered, and Kara knew she looked surprised at it, because Lena then told her teasingly, “I’m not blind, Kara, I know you know way more about science then you let on.”

With a sheepish laugh, Kara shook her head. “I know as much as any normal person, nothing special.” She ignored Lena’s disbelieving look.

“If you say so,” Lena rolled her eyes, “but, even then, you have such... Bleeding heart pro-alien views, I think we could help each other out in the process of making it. Keep each other from going too far in one direction.”

Kara thought for a moment, before she said, “...I’d love to help you on it. I think it sounds kind of amazing, if I’m being honest.”

Relief etched onto her features, Lena smiled thankfully and nodded. Kara watched with some amount of nerves as Lena’s relief faded and a look similar to the one from several nights before came back. The one Kara couldn’t quite read. 

“Kara, there’s actually something else I’ve been needing to talk to you about,” Lena admitted quietly, fear flickering in her stunning eyes. “I’m not sure how this will go, but, I’m hoping...It’ll be alright.”

Now this certainly gave Kara jurisdiction to be worried. Kara straightened, and instinctively reached for Lena’s hand. “What’s wrong, Lena?” Was this stemming from whatever had made Lena kick Supergirl out that night? Kara found herself wondering and wondering as she waited for Lena to tell her.

But, then the comm in her ear went off.

Annoyance and pain seizing her heart at the thought of interrupting Lena right then took over her, but still, Kara stopped Lena just as she was about to speak. “One sec, my—my sister is calling me,” Kara murmured, pulling out her very silent phone. Lena sat back with pursed lips as Kara held the phone to her ear.

“Hey, Alex, what’s up?” Kara spoke into the comms with the phone as a guise as her gaze flickered to Lena. “I’m at work right now. Is everything okay?”

 _"Lena’s with you?”_ Alex guessed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kara answered, and she tried to gauge Lena’s expression to no avail.

 _"Tell her there’s a family emergency or something.”_ Alex ordered with a heavy sigh, _“You’ve gotta come take care of some aliens, Supergirl.”_

With hesitation, Kara racked her brain. She really wanted to hear what Lena was going to say. She needed to find out what was going on in Lena’s mind. But, her duty was to help the people of Earth and that was her job right then.

So, sadly, she spoke into the comms, “Oh, God, I’ll be there as soon as I can, Alex.” She pretended to hang up the phone, and she looked at Lena guiltily, “Lena, I’m so, so sorry, but there’s a— a family emergency, and—“

“Go,” Lena told her, and she set her hand on Kara’s shoulder for the briefest instant, “I of all people certainly understand family issues. Take as much time as you need.” She smiled gently, and Kara breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you so much,” Kara said truthfully as she stood up. “We can talk about this as soon as it’s all taken care of, right?”

“Right,” Lena agreed with a tight smile. She stood up and Kara drew her into a quick hug that was immediately reciprocated. “Good luck, Kara,” Lena whispered, and Kara wasn’t sure how to respond, “Stay safe out there.” 

“Of course I will,” Kara promised, despite her confusion to the sudden air of protection in Lena’s voice. The two of them drew back, and Kara offered a quick hopeful smile, before she left Lena’s office as quickly as she could manage.

—

Lena watched Kara leave her office with worry and regret.

That phone call from Alex was so unreasonably obviously fake now that Lena knew the truth. Family emergency must have meant Supergirl emergency. Which, very much meant her sweet Kara was about to go and throw herself into some fight with _God_ knows who, and Lena found herself painfully worried.

Even if Supergirl was an all powerful, scarily mighty alien from another planet... She was still Kara Danvers and the thought of her getting hurt was unbearable. Even when it was so painfully obvious that Kara was Supergirl, it was sort of difficult to think of the clumsy girl as the superhero. It felt more like throwing a harmless golden retriever into battle than the tank she really was. 

Lena sighed to herself the second Kara shut the doors to her office. She stood up just in time to see the blur of red and blue zip past her balcony, and truthfully she couldn’t help the feeling of annoyance eating at her.

She had finally worked up the nerve to bring up Supergirl to Kara. She was finally going to talk to her about the secret identity she was fully aware of. And then, like some almighty force wanted Lena to be miserable, Kara just had to get called out on hero duty at that exact second. 

It was funny how the world worked, she supposed.


	7. Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Ruby come to National City, there's a gala, and Lena invites Kara.

Kara Danvers was a sight for sore eyes each and every day. Her lovely smile and cheerful attitude were enough to lift Lena’s spirits no matter what sort of mood she happened to be in. Which, included this particular day, on which Lena was a tad irritated. 

The stack of mail on Lena’s desk was currently piled quite high. Lena hadn’t been very focused on filtering through mail that day, or any day, really. Mail happened to be the last thing on Lena Luthor’s list of worries. Kara had brought in her mail first thing that morning with her coffee and here Lena was, in the afternoon, having yet to open a single letter. The coffee had certainly been more appreciated.

With a soft, annoyed sigh, Lena shut her laptop and finally dragged the stack of mail to the center of her desk. She shuffled absentmindedly through the lot of letters, tucking a few more important ones to the corner of her desk, when she saw them.

A few particular envelopes were more than recognizable for anyone in her circles. She all but groaned as she lifted the first one up to open it, and sure enough, the contents inside were exactly what she had been expecting.

An invitation rested inside; smooth, white paper with shiny gold calligraphy that immediately brought Lena annoyance. She had completely forgotten about this. Yearly, Lord Industries hosted a gala, which was one of the biggest events each year. It was fronted as a fundraiser, though Lena always assumed that meant the money would be used to help Maxwell Lord fuel himself and his greed rather than go towards any real cause.

Maxwell Lord, CEO and founder of Lord Industries, was one of the more irritating, arrogant men Lena had met. Not to mention, the gala also attracted other men of that stature, such as Morgan Edge. Who, as per usual, would inevitably find Lena and cause her trouble. So, it was safe to say she wasn’t particularly fond of attending his fancy, overfunded gala each year. Unfortunately, as the CEO of L-Corp, Lena was required to attend, unless she wanted more poor media towards her. That happened to be one thing she could not quite afford, so she was stuck.

The next few envelopes were also invitations to the very same gala. They were meant to be used as invites if Lena were to bring anybody along— which, happened to be well what Maxwell Lord would want. The more people knowledgeable of the event and the more people in attendance, the bigger success for it. Certain things were much less pleasant than they seemed when you knew how men like him functioned.

Lena nearly jumped as a knock sounded and the door to her office opened with a faint creak. 

“Didn’t mean to scare you,” Kara said sweetly, smiling so widely that Lena was sure it must hurt her cheeks some. She held up a bag, and said with the ghost of a laugh in her voice, “You look kinda bothered. Maybe this will help?” She shook the bag ever so slightly just to draw attention to it. It was a brown paper bag with the logo of Big Belly Burger on it, and Lena could practically smell the grease already. But, oh, was it welcome.

Kara’s presence alone was definitely more helpful than any amount of junk food, but Lena saved that comment for herself. “Please, give me some,” Lena said with such desperation that Kara laughed, “Are you a mind reader, Kara? I’ve been sort of craving that since Supergirl brought me it.”

“Supergirl has good taste,” Kara commented with the smile of a woman who knew more than she was letting on. But, Lena was fully aware of that inside joke now. She was in on it without Kara even realizing she was in on it. Which, would have to be discussed later, Lena reminded herself.

“That she does,” Lena agreed with a look that was nothing but teasing, and she relished in the nervous laugh she got from Kara. “Come on. Balcony.” She said simply, and she stood up from her chair. The invitation was dropped promptly onto her desk for her to ignore until later and she headed for her balcony door. She held the door open for Kara, who slipped past her quickly, and she followed Kara out.

Lena cherished the way Kara shut her eyes and smiled the second the sunlight hit her. The Kryptonian sighed deeply as she did so, and Lena felt like her heart was practically doing backflips in her chest. She had no idea how Kara had the power to make her simply forget that she was ever annoyed at anything that day.

When Kara had seemingly gotten her fill of the sun, she looked at Lena with a smile again. The paper bag crinkled as she opened it and withdrew a few of the contents. “A burger and a salad for the lady,” Kara said cheekily as she held out a messily wrapped burger and small container of salad for Lena. 

“Thank you, Kara,” Lena said gratefully as she took the two items from Kara. Kara practically lit up as she pulled not one, but three burgers out of the bag for herself. For a moment Lena was baffled until she remembered, _right_ , this girl was quite literally out of this world. Lena was also observant enough to notice the once again stark contrast between Kara’s choice of burger and her own, and it was only the cherry on top of evidence that Kara and Supergirl were the same.

“So, what’s got you bothered today?” Kara asked as she unwrapped the crinkly paper from her greasy cheeseburger, and then she joked, “Need me to go after anyone for you? Edge hasn’t shown his face since I dragged him out, I guess I’m scarier than I look.”

Lena hummed as she took the paper off of her own burger. “That, or he’s plotting something,” She reasoned, entirely knowing Edge was most likely lurking around the city with villainous motives, “Guess we’ll find out eventually, hm?”

Kara frowned and scrunched her nose up like she was grossed out, though it only proved to make her look more cute. “ _Blegh_ , he better not be plotting something.”

“I don’t exactly see him as being above it,” Lena said casually with a shrug and finally took a bite of her burger. Her eyes nearly rolled back at how good it was. God, Kara was ruining her diet as both sweet assistant and bold superhero. “He did threaten both myself and you, so...” 

“Well, if he tries anything,” Kara said, an ounce of Supergirl’s confidence in her voice that made Lena unable to possibly believe she fell for it for so long, “We’ve got a mutual friend who’ll happily teach him a lesson for you. Supergirl won’t let anything happen to you, you know that?”

Lena smiled fondly at her assistant’s look of determination. “I know she won’t,” She said immediately, because really, she did entirely trust this girl in front of her. 

That answer seemed to satisfy Kara, because her serious expression melted back into that lovely smile of hers. “How’s your lunch?” She asked knowingly as she worked on her second burger, while Lena was still on her one and only. Lena had stopped halfway to eat some of the little salad, which somehow made her feel slightly better about eating the burger.

“Good,” Lena admitted, “I really like the food from this place, for some reason.”

”Because it’s amazing!” Kara supplied with a laugh.

“Maybe so,” Lena agreed simply, a laugh in her voice.

“How about the salad? If you can believe it, I definitely never had the salad.”

This comment drew a full laugh from Lena. “Oh, I can believe it... Miss Danvers, Donut Connoisseur.” Her assistant definitely had a sweet tooth. Though, Kara’s sweet tooth was beginning to drift into Lena. “It’s good, though, thank you.” 

“Donut Connoisseur,” Kara pondered out loud with a thoughtful expression. She took a big bite of her cheeseburger, and after finishing it, she smiled widely at Lena. “I like it. Maybe I should have put that on my resume.” She joked.

“It definitely would have given me some warning,” Lena bantered along cheerfully.

“Would it have changed your mind about hiring me?” Kara questioned. Though she was joking, Lena found herself nearly insulted that anything could have deterred her from hiring Kara and changed the path she was currently going down.

So, Lena looked at Kara quite seriously. “Wouldn’t have changed a thing. I was much too curious about you,” She said honestly, with a dry chuckle, “If I’m being completely honest, Kara, your smile was one of the reasons I was so intrigued with you in the first place. You’re so bright, it’s very refreshing. I mean... You’ve met Jess, I love her very much, but you’re certainly the very opposite of her and all my past assistants.”

Immediately, Kara went to fidget with her glasses. Her eyes were aimed towards her feet and there was a wide smile on her face as she laughed nervously, but genuinely. Consequently, Lena bit her own lip in a poor attempt to refrain from smiling herself. Something about being able to fluster the Girl of Steel, despite it being her alter ego, was so satisfying. 

“I’m really glad I got to meet you,” Kara told Lena quietly then, still looking sheepish. 

“Likewise,” Lena said and smiled. “Definitely one of the better decisions of my life.”

Kara gave an agreeing giggle. After that, the two of them sat in easy silence. Lena tried her best to simply focus on her food as she ate, but admittedly, her eye kept drifting to watch Kara.

After a few minutes of silence that allowed both of them to finish their lunch, Kara broke it by saying quietly, “Lena?”

It was simple to notice Kara’s anxiousness become tenfold, which intrigued Lena. Kara had her eyes trained anywhere except for on Lena, again. Lena simply hummed in response, meaning for Kara to continue with whatever she had to say.

“So, I wanted to ask... I’ve been thinking... Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about...” Kara seemed to be struggling to form a single coherent sentence, which Lena found a bit endearing. How this girl could get so genuinely nervous when she could break a concrete wall with her bare fists, Lena would never know. “So, me and my sister and my friends, we... I was...” Eventually, Kara just sighed and said, “Nevermind, sorry.”

Lena figured as much, and so she assured Kara, “I’ll be listening when you figure out what you have to tell me, okay?” Gently, Lena set her hand on Kara’s bicep—which, God, made Lena feel about as nervous as Kara. But, she just gave Kara a reassuring pat and lead her back inside to her office. 

The two of them exchanged a few more words, before Kara was ready to leave.

—

_Stupid._

Kara had, once again, unsuccessfully asked Lena to come to a simple game night. Alex and Winn kept telling her it was a good idea, and she really wanted Lena to come, but... Lena was her boss, and Lena was this rich, famous CEO, and why would she want to come to the rent-controlled side of town just to play some board games with Kara Danvers?

“Kara, there’s actually something _I_ wanted to ask _you_ ,” Lena said suddenly before Kara could turn to leave. So, Kara stopped in her tracks and smiled graciously at Lena, a silent sign that she could ask absolutely anything. Fingers steeped together, Lena pursed her lips, before finally she went on, “Lord Industries is hosting this gala-fundraiser in a couple of days. It’s a big event, lots of fancy dresses, food, and meaningless conversation... Anyway, I was wondering if you would come with me. It would mean a lot.”

A gala was probably the last thing Kara expected Lena to bring up to her. Let alone to invite her along rather than just ask her to mark it on the calendar. And it wasn’t as if Kara had ever been to a gala before, even the word alone sounded far too fancy for her... But she certainly wasn’t opposed to an evening with Lena, who would most definitely be donned in some sort of beautiful dress, if her daily clothing was anything to go by. 

So, Kara grinned and said, “Well, yeah, I’ll come. Gotta have your assistant close by, right?”

Maybe Kara was imagining things that weren’t actually there, but she thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in Lena’s eyes at her choice of words. Lena had her lips barely parted like she was trying to think of what to say, her eyes glued to her desk rather than Kara. Finally, she said with a tight lipped smile, “Exactly, my assistant, that’s right.” 

After a moment, Lena shook her head and seemed to shake whatever possible disappointment could have been there. She picked up an envelope from her desk and held it out for Kara with one of her eyebrows quirked up. Teasingly, she said, “Well, find yourself something nice to wear, Kara, and I’ll see you there.”

Without hesitation, Kara gratefully took the envelope. She took one look at the seemingly simple envelope and nearly laughed. “I’ve honestly never seen a wax seal before,” Kara admitted with a giggle as she drew her finger along the red wax seal, “fancy stuff, Lena.”

Seemingly troubled by this, Lena asked, “Wax seals are considered fancy?” 

Kara gaped at her. “Maybe not in, like, the 1700s. But, I assure you, I have never once in my life of receiving mail received a letter with a wax seal, so do with that what you will.”

“Interesting,” Lena said, but a second later her confused facade broke and she just smiled sillily at Kara. Then, her eyes went momentarily wide and she seemed to remember something. “Oh! Kara, I also have...”

Lena turned her attention to a stack of papers on her desk. Kara watched with curiousness as she dug around in them and flipped through each one. After a moment, she made a satisfied noise and pulled out a stapled bunch of papers and she held them out to Kara.

“Would you mind getting these to Supergirl?” Lena asked. Kara took one look at the papers and immediately recognized them as the DEO contracts. “I would give them to her myself, but, you know...” 

“Of course,” Kara told her simply, and took the contracts from her. She held the contracts and the invite like they were her lifeline. Hesitantly, she ventured, “Hey, are you... Mad at Supergirl or anything?” 

Lena quirked an eyebrow and she asked, “Why would you think that?” 

Fidgeting with the papers, Kara shrugged. “She, uh... She told me you were acting kinda funny. She wasn’t sure if she had done something to upset you.” Kara forced herself to meet Lena’s eyes again as she said, “Because she would never purposely do anything to upset you, so she wants to fix it, if she did something.”

Amused, Lena shook her head. “Trust me, she did absolutely nothing,” Lena assured Kara with a raised hand, “I’m not upset in the slightest.” 

Kara couldn’t help the relieved sigh that left her. “Okay,” She said, a smile on her face, “Good. I’m glad.”

Lena smiled and waved her hand dismissively. “Go on,” She said, “I’ll see you later.”

The doors to Lena’s office had only barely shut behind her by the time Kara realized the elevator door was opening. Her mind raced for a moment in attempt to mentally rack through Lena’s calendar— was she supposed to have an appointment with somebody right then? If Kara remembered correctly, which she usually did, Lena’s schedule was more or less free for the rest of the afternoon, apart from a quick conference call at 5.

To further her confusion, a woman stepped out of the elevator with a young girl in tow. The woman was pretty; she had long, brunette hair that hung loose, she had kind eyes, and she was dressed semi-formal, with a black blazer and slacks. The girl, who could only be barely in high school, if even that, looked a lot like the woman. She had on a wide smile, and she was chattering to the woman non-stop until the two of them noticed Kara and she went silent.

“Uh, hi,” Kara greeted with a smile of her own, “Can I help you with something?”

The woman gave Kara a truly polite smile and nod. “We’re here to see Lena,” She told Kara, and she barely got the words out before Kara stepped blindly back to fumble with the handle of Lena’s door. There was just something so familiar and warm about the way she said Lena’s name.

Kara stuck her head back in Lena’s office. Lena was seated at her desk, and her eyes had been closed. The second Kara saw her, though, her eyes snapped open and bore into Kara. Rao, those eyes were intense. 

“Uh,” Kara said dumbly, hands set on the doorframe to support her weight while she leaned half her body into the office. Then, she seemed to gather herself, and she said easily, “There’s a lady here to see you. And, uh, a kid. Should I let them in?”

Lena’s eyes widened and flashed with a spark of joy. She stood up eagerly from her desk, looking like she was being smothered by her excitement. She clasped her hands together tightly and she immediately said, “Yes, yes, bring them in. You come, too, Kara. Please.”

As Lena started to round her desk, Kara moved so she could hold the door open for both of the visitors. “Come in,” She invited them both kindly, and she had barely said the words before the both of them came inside Lena’s office.

“Aunt Lena!” The girl greeted excitedly as she ran into Lena’s office. She didn’t stop until she was hugging Lena, and Lena was hugging her back with such a soft expression on her face Kara nearly melted. 

“It’s been too long,” Lena told her with a gentle laugh. 

The woman got to Lena and the girl then, and Lena let go of the girl to pull her into a tight hug. Kara ignored the faint feeling of victory in her stomach when Lena and the woman pulled away from each other notably quicker than Kara and Lena when they hugged. 

Lena seemed to notice Kara standing awkwardly near the entrance, then, because she smiled at the two strangers and waved Kara over. Kara came forward to join the lot of them at the front of Lena’s desk with a nervous smile.

“Kara,” Lena said happily, “I’ve been wanting you to meet these two. This is Samantha Arias,” She motioned to the woman, and then to the girl, “and her daughter Ruby.” 

Instantly, Kara held her hand out in an offered handshake. “Nice to meet both of you,” She said, and she really did mean that. If they made Lena this happy, Kara was basically in love with them already. She hadn’t seen Lena be friendly with many people, and in fact the amount paled in comparison to the amount of people who treated Lena terribly.

“It’s just Sam,” Sam told her as she took Kara’s hand and shook it firmly. “You must be the famous Kara Danvers.” A teasing smile played on her lips, then, and she went on, “Lena hasn’t stopped talking about you.” 

“ _Sam!_ ” Lena chided immediately, with a look of embarrassment on her that nearly made Kara laugh. 

“Oh, I guess it was a secret,” Sam laughed to Kara.

Ruby, however, was giggling at her Mother’s comment, which seemed to mean it was true. “She won’t shut up about you to my Mom.”

“All good things, I hope?” Kara asked Sam and Ruby with a bright smile as she dropped Sam’s hand.

Ruby rolled her eyes in good-nature. “You have no idea. She really likes you.”

Lena groaned and her hand fell onto Kara’s shoulder. “Actually, you three meeting was a mistake.” She said and looked truly embarrassed by everything being said, but Kara was just amused by it all. Lena talked about her? And seemingly often? She couldn’t help but feel happy, and somewhat victorious, at the knowledge. Plus, now she felt somewhat better about talking to Winn and her sister about Lena.

Kara just laughed at her and set her hand on top of Lena’s where it rested on her shoulder. It meant to be a comforting gesture, though Lena just seemed to be even more nervous. 

“So, this is the friend you were talking about?” Kara asked Lena with a vague gesture to Sam, and then to Ruby, “And her daughter.”

“Yes! This is them,” Lena confirmed with a happy smile. The sight of Lena’s smile, her happiness practically radiating off of her in pure energy, was enough to make Kara fall in love with Sam and Ruby both. “You’ll probably be seeing a lot of them for a while, Kara.”

“Hopefully you don’t get sick of us too soon,” Sam joked with a gentle shrug, though Kara could sense the faint hint of genuine anxiety she had.

Without hesitation, Kara shook her head and laughed. “No, no,” She corrected with her hands raised up slightly, “In fact, I’m looking forward to seeing both of you around.” 

Just like she was very much looking forward to seeing Lena be happier than she normally was, what with her work and bothersome people like Morgan Edge buzzing around her. 

Kara very nearly jumped out of her skin as the comm went off in her ear. It was Winn’s voice, and he said, _“Yo, Supergirl, are you available?”_

Supergirl was needed, apparently. Kara offered a final smile to the three. “But, um, you just got here, so,” Kara waved her hands a bit, “I’ll let you three catch up and all that.” She gave Lena a look and asked, “Need to me to cancel anything for you?”

“All good, Kara, thank you,” Lena declined with a smile. “Actually, take the rest of the day off, if you want. All I have is that conference call later and I’m sure I can manage to remember that one thing.”

Perfect. That would come in handy if there was a big emergency her superhero half needed to handle. Kara set her hand on Lena’s and squeezed it appreciatively before dropping it. She did, however, notice the spike in Lena’s heartbeat at the touch, and Sam and Ruby’s knowing looks.

“It was really nice meeting you, Kara Danvers,” Sam told Kara, and the amount of honesty in the words made Kara instantly like Sam even more.

“The same goes for you,” Kara assured her equally as honestly, and she took her leave with a final wave to Ruby, and then Sam and Lena. She truly was glad that the two of them were visiting the city. Sam seemed genuinely kind, not the kind of fake nice Kara saw a lot in people, and Lena seemed so fond of both of them. She had also noticed that Sam seemed almost as nervous as her, like she didn’t really know what to do when people were being nice _to_ her. Kara actually somewhat liked that about her.

Kara ducked into her office and set her glasses on her desk.

—

The DEO was noticeably less active than it had been. Supergirl drifted into the underground facility quietly and was greeted with the sight and sound of a calm workplace rather than agents running about and Alex barking orders. She supposed that meant she was going to have a quiet night when it came to crime fighting— At least when it came to big bad aliens, anyway. Petty criminals never seemed to rest.

Supergirl walked in with her fists set on her hips. That was when the agents started to notice her arrival, and to Supergirl’s confusion, it seemed to spark something in most of them. The few that hadn’t been talking at all were now talking to one another, and the few who had been talking were talking quieter now. Several were grinning at Supergirl and chuckling, and Supergirl truly had no idea how to react to it. 

Was she overthinking? It just happened to remind her of when she came to Earth and she had started school. People had thought she was weird and, subsequently, when she walked into a room it felt like everyone was staring at her and making her the joke of the hour. 

As Supergirl, she wasn’t used to that feeling. Not in this way, anyway. She was used to crowds of people staring at her and talking about her, cheering the Girl of Steel on, but this felt secretive. 

She crossed her arms instinctively as she walked. Not entirely on purpose, but also not completely accidentally, Supergirl focused her hearing onto a small group of four agents near her. What else could she do? She was curious.

The words she immediately heard were _Supergirl and Lena Luthor_ and that was all she had to hear. Immediately, she called to the four agents, startling them all, “What are you talking about, agents?” The prickle of protectiveness she felt was a feeling she was having a difficult time trying to quell. If she caught any agent in this agency talking badly about Lena, she would have to give them a little chat.

The man who had been talking stuttered like an idiot for several seconds before the woman next to him elbowed him in the side. “Nothing, Supergirl. Just on our lunch break,” He lied with a very forced smile. The woman who judged him sighed. At least she was smart enough to know her buddy couldn’t lie to save himself.

Supergirl frowned deeply at the suddenly nervous lot of them. Finally, she turned away from them and she heard them all relax. Their heartbeats slowed, and all of them sighed, scolding one another. 

It was then that Supergirl saw Winn sitting at a computer and talking to Agent Vasquez with a grin. Winn also has his phone out, held facing Vasquez like he was showing her something. It was two details that, in their summation, lead Supergirl to an epiphany.

Disbelief in her eyes, Supergirl stalked towards Winn a bit angrily. “Winn,” She said firmly as she came up behind him and Vasquez, who took one look at Supergirl and walked away quickly, leaving Winn, who’s heart immediately stopped. 

Winn spun around in his leathery computer chair. He rested his elbow on the armrest and his chin on his hand, and flashed a too-sweet charming smile at the hero. “Yes, Supergirl?” He questioned her innocently.

Unimpressed, Supergirl crossed her arms. “You’ve been talking to everybody about me, haven’t you?” She asked in a dry tone, clearly irritated. It explained the looks and the whispering. It was gossip about her.

There was no answer for a full minute. Finally, Winn said just as charmingly, “Well, who wouldn’t talk about you and all your achievements as National City’s superhero?”

“Winn Schott, I could literally throw you onto Mars.”

This threat seemed to spark a chord in Winn because his fake innocence act faded away and was replaced with genuine fear. “Okay, so I told some people,” He admitted and raised his hands to stop Supergirl from saying anything before he was done, “But, it was literally, like, three. It spread from there. Not my fault! I told them not to!”

Supergirl scoffed at Winn. She gaped disbelievingly at him and exclaimed, “Winn, it’s singularly your fault!”

Winn pursed his lips and took this into consideration. He clearly had no argument. Instead, he offered poorly, “If it makes you feel better, everybody agrees that Lena definitely has a crush on you.” 

“Really? They do?” Supergirl asked, momentarily forgetting her annoyance at Winn. She remembered an instant later and went back to scolding, “Okay, that’s not— that doesn’t help. You can’t gossip about Supergirl to all the agents, dude. For _many_ reasons.”

“I’m sorry,” Winn whined and gave Kara puppy-begging eyes. “I’m really sorry. Please don’t throw me to Mars.” He clasped his hands together like he was praying for her to forgive him.

The fierce glare continued, as well as her annoyance. She simply stood there, glaring to the point she was just barely keeping her heat vision from blasting. However, Winn was truly good at the puppy dog eyes. With a deep sigh, Supergirl dropped her crossed arms and said, “Fine. Just put an end to it.”

Winn breathed a sigh of his own, though his was of pure relief. He clasped his hands together and said in exaggerated thankfulness, “Thank you so much, Supergirl.” He pumped his fist in the air and exclaimed to the entire DEO, “I’m not getting tossed to Mars today, guys!”

Supergirl tossed an almost equally deathly glare to every agent that looked their way at that moment. They seemed to get the message.

”Anyway,” Winn said a bit loudly like he was trying to turn the topic before Supergirl changed her mind. “There was something I wanted to talk to you about.” He spun back around in the computer chair so he was facing the monitor in front of him.

 _Perfect_ , work sounded like it would be helpful to ignore Winn’s gossiping problem. Supergirl leaned with one hand set on the desk so she could peer at the screen over Winn’s head. 

“Okay, what’s up?” Supergirl asked as he started clicking around. On what exactly, she wasn’t sure. “Gang? Fort Rozz alien?” She guessed, and then with a somewhat amused tone she guessed, “Did Leslie finally lose it at the diner and go back to being a big bad? Someone spill coffee and she just _zapped!_ the guy?”

That particular guess made Winn snort. “No, Livewire is still making terrible coffee, I’m pretty sure,” He informed Supergirl with a laugh, but then his more dreary expression came back to him. He stopped typing and clicking and looked back at the superhero.

Supergirl chuckled nervously. “You’re making me nervous,” She told him with question in her voice. Jokes about Leslie Willis aside, she wanted him to hurry and get to the point. 

“I wanted to warn you,” Winn said, and Supergirl thought that was a terrible sentence to lead with. “Basically, I think you should really watch out for Lena. Like, big time watch out for her.” 

Her grip on the desk tightened and she only barely registered the metal crack under her fingertips. “Winn, I thought you were on Lena’s side—“

“No!” Winn countered immediately. He actually looked almost as offended as Kara felt. He rolled his eyes and clarified, “Not watch out for Lena doing something bad, watch out for _someone_ doing something bad _to_ Lena.”

That certainly wasn’t any better. But Supergirl was intrigued and she had that protective flare in her heart still. She gave Winn a look that very clearly meant for him to continue.

Winn pursed his lips tightly and pulled three case files up on the computer. They made Supergirl frown further— She didn’t recognize two, but one of them she did recognize immediately. The photo was of a lithe, blonde woman, and Supergirl knew it was the woman they had seen on the security footage after proving Lena was innocent. It was the woman who had framed Lena. There were other pictures grouped with her, which Supergirl assumed they were the others who had helped her.

“These are all from the past month and a half,” Winn told Supergirl. He pointed to the woman Supergirl recognized and asked, “You remember this one, right?”

Supergirl nodded. 

Winn gave a short nod in return before he pointed at the next file. There was a picture of a man with big shoulders, a scruffy beard, and an angry face. All in all, he did not look like the friendliest guy around. 

“So, this guy was arrested by Vasquez a couple weeks ago,” Winn explained, “he had escaped from Stryker Island, Cell Block D specifically, and was wanted for about three months. And here...” He clicked around on some files before he pulled up an image. “Here we have a picture of a map found in his buddy’s apartment that he had been holing up in. Notice anything?”

Supergirl squinted at the picture. It was a map of National City in particular. There were notes scribbled in certain places around it in scrawny, messy lettering, some of which were scratched out and corrected in different colored ink. It didn’t take long for her to notice what Winn was asking of her.

Cordova Street. Along Cordova Street and a couple cornering streets had certain spots circled with notes written to the side, and to Supergirl’s anger— a bold, red circle was drawn directly around the exact spot where L-Corp was.

Clearly, Winn had noticed the fire in her eyes and had taken that as she knew what he meant, because he clicked out of the picture. He pointed at the last case file, a lankier but no less unfriendly looking man, and went on. 

“Now, this dude was arrested right down the street from L-Corp for assault. He’s been mostly in illegal arms dealings. Also, a few years back, he was in contact with dude number one,” Winn pointed back to the muscular man.

“This sounds really great,” Supergirl muttered sarcastically.

“Oh, you haven’t even heard the best part, honey,” Winn informed her with an abrupt sigh. “All of them admitted to working for Lex Luthor. Or, at least, they’re some real fanboys. And, after the beauty shop folks directly tried to frame and ruin Lena’s life... Well, honestly, I don’t want to think about what those two dudes could’ve had planned, or who could still be out there working for Lex.”

Lex Luthor was always low, but to continuously target his own sister? And the thought that Lena was in danger actually scared Supergirl. The situation where Lena has nearly been arrested was horrible enough, but to think of what one of those men would have done if they hadn’t been arrested when they were? To put it simply, Supergirl thought those men should feel very lucky that Supergirl wasn’t the one to arrest them.

“Hey, Supes, can you give the desk a break?” Winn asked suddenly, and Supergirl looked at him in confusion before she looked at her hand. Indeed, she had the metal of the desk nearly bent around her hand. Supergirl let go immediately and gave an apologetic, half-hearted smile.

“Guess Lena’s lucky to have Kara Danvers as her assistant,” Supergirl said, trying to mask the anger she was feeling towards Lex Luthor and anybody who was terrible enough to ever respect and work for him. 

“If you’re gonna have a murderous brother, you may as well have a superhero best friend,” Winn agreed with a sheepish, forced grin. He knew as well as Supergirl did that it wasn’t an actually funny matter.

Supergirl crossed her arms to avoid damaging any more of Winn’s space, and she ran thought after thought through her head. “Can we get Stryker Island to get more security on Lex Luthor?” She asked. 

“To be on honest with you, Lex Luthor is gonna find loophole after loophole no matter what,” Winn said solemnly, and the unfortunate thing was that Supergirl knew he was right. Lex could be thrown in the highest security prison in the world, have guns aimed at him at all times, and still find a way to do his business.

“Is there anything we can do at all?”

“We’ve arrested these guys and that’s basically all we can do. Lex doesn’t leave a paper trail.”

Supergirl huffed, “Great.” Lex Luthor just had to get more and more irritating at every instant. She really could not understand how Lena made him sound like he had once been a good brother. Lex Luthor had went from sneakily making cookies with his little sister to sending armed men to murder his little sister.

“But!” Winn interjected with what was his attempt at being optimistic, “That’s why I’m telling you this. So, you can keep an eye out for your girl, and nothing bad will happen!” He flashed a thumbs up and a crooked grin to match.

It definitely did not make the situation better. However, Supergirl gave a heavy sigh and set her hand on Winn’s shoulder. She patted it and told him truly, “Thanks for letting me know, Winn.” 

“No problem. So... Do you forgive me?” He gave Supergirl a hopeful look and clasped his hands together. Winn had mastered the puppy dog eyes, Supergirl could say that for sure.

Hesitantly, Supergirl admitted, “Sure.”

Winn pumped his fist in the air and gave a cheer. “Awesome! The super friends are cool again!” He exclaimed, too loudly once again, which drew the attention of several agents, once again. 

Supergirl pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m... I’m going on patrol,” She decided, because Winn was too much right then, “See you, Winn.” Hopefully, he would be a bit less loud later. 

After several hours of patrolling the city, all Supergirl had done was stop a one-man robbery at a gas station and get a cat out of a tree. The wannabe robber had given up after Supergirl snapped his pistol clean in half, and the cat... Well, the cat was much better than when Supergirl had rescued a snake from a tree, so she couldn’t complain. Plus, it was a cute cat.

The city was very, very calm and quiet, for whatever reason. Maybe the criminals were taking a break, maybe the criminals were plotting, maybe the criminals were having a karaoke night like Supergirl and her friends did— Either way, the city was calm.

It just so happened that Supergirl’s patrolling took her near Lena’s penthouse. She recognized it from when she had come a few times as Kara Danvers to get different things for Lena. Admittedly, she very nearly crashed into the side of a skyscraper when she noticed Lena’s building because got so distracted.

Slowing down in the sky, Supergirl focused her hearing into Lena’s penthouse. As she expected, she heard three separate voices. Lena’s lovely accent, Sam, and Ruby. 

Which, gave Supergirl an idea.

Softly and quietly, Supergirl drifted down onto the balcony of Lena’s penthouse. She touched down, with a gentle thud sounding as her feet hit, and she took a deep breath. Hopefully, Lena wouldn’t be too upset about this. Hopefully, she would be quite the opposite. 

Inside, in another room, Supergirl could hear Lena, Sam, and Ruby. The three were crowded around a coffee table; Lena and Ruby were on the floor, and Sam was sat on the couch across from them. Supergirl could hear the confusion in Lena’s voice as she asked a question, and the determination in Ruby’s as she explained to Lena the rules of the game again. Though Lena still seemed confused, she let out a long _oh_ like she understood. Sam giggled lowly, like she was as aware as Supergirl was that Lena still had no idea how it was played. The whole scene made Supergirl’s heart flood with appreciation.

Supergirl took another slow deep breath, her eyes shut as she tried to calm her nerves. Finally, working up some courage, and forcing through that familiar Supergirl bravery, she stepped forward. She tapped her knuckles on the glass door of the balcony, not too loudly, but certainly loud enough. 

Sure enough, the room with Lena, Ruby, and Sam went quiet. Supergirl fought a smile as she heard that familiar spike of Lena’s heartbeat. 

“Excuse me, ladies,” Lena told them both, her voice calm as could be. It would have been an incredibly convincing facade if Supergirl didn’t have super-powered hearing. That heartbeat gave her away every time. “Also, I’ll know if either of you change a _single_ thing in this room, so don’t try cheating.”

“I don’t need to cheat to beat _you_ ,” Ruby argued confidently, a laugh following quickly after.

Lena’s voice turned to a playful, challenging one. She told Ruby with certainty, “Okay, I’m definitely going to make sure I win now.” Both Sam and Ruby laughed at her. “Watch out, Ruby.” With that said, Supergirl then heard Lena grunt softly as she stood up, which was followed soon by the sound of footsteps. 

Which, consequently, made Supergirl’s own heartbeat pick up. 

A second later, a curious looking Lena Luthor came wandering into the room. She looked like she was halfway ready to tase somebody, which, Supergirl couldn’t blame her. Hopefully, Lena would realize it was only Supergirl and not an intruder before unleashing her wrath. More for Lena’s sake and not Supergirl’s, anyway.

But Lena saw Supergirl standing outside her balcony door with a nervous smile, and Lena downright grinned and laughed. She opened the door and looked at the superhero incredulously. 

“Supergirl?” She asked, like she weren’t quite sure the hero was truly standing there.

“The one and only,” Supergirl confirmed with a silly shrug. Perhaps her willful mind was deceiving her, but Lena didn’t seem upset to see her there, so that had to be good. 

Lena stepped to the side and waved with her hand. “Come in, please,” She invited warmly. With a teasing shove to Supergirl’s shoulder while Supergirl walked in, she said, “You’re never gonna learn that balconies aren’t entrances, are you? And, do I even want to know how you got my address?” She shut the door behind Supergirl, and then turned, and Supergirl finally took the chance to actually look at her. Supergirl truly felt her brain short circuiting at the sight.

Every single day, Lena wore the most insensible clothing Supergirl could imagine. She wore deadly heels, dresses cut nearly too low, tight pencil skirts— just about everything that could drive a woman crazy if she wore them day-to-day like Lena did. Typically, her hair was up in a tight bun or ponytail, and she wore makeup and dark lipstick.

Now, however, in the comfort of her penthouse, Lena was very differently dressed. Her hair was down, laying loose down her shoulders, and there wasn’t an ounce of makeup on her beautiful face. She was wearing a grey sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled up and flannel sleep shorts. And not to mention— She was wearing glasses. _Glasses_. It was all such a stark contrast to those dresses she normally wore, Supergirl nearly didn’t believe her eyes.

Before her brain could catch up with her mouth, Supergirl said quickly, “You look beautiful.” 

Taken aback, Lena just froze and stared at Supergirl with wide eyes. A moment later, however, she offered a laugh and rolled her eyes. “I know, I look terrible. I didn’t have much notice that you were coming, you know.” 

“No, _no_ ,” Supergirl argued, her hands raised to stop Lena. She hadn’t meant to say what she had, but she may as well admit to the truth of it at that point, especially if Lena took it as sarcasm. “I mean it. I... I like you like this, a lot.” 

There was truly something about Lena being dressed so casually that Supergirl found so alluring. The uncomfortable dresses and stilettos were always gorgeous, and Lena always looked amazing, definitely. But Lena just looked relaxed, and comfortable, and happy right then. To Supergirl, she was positively stunning.

Lena was absolutely perfect, and Supergirl knew she was never going to get past the fluttery feeling Lena gave her. 

Lena’s heart spiked again, but this time went on with a continuously slightly quicker beat. A gentle, real smile came to her, and she looked at Supergirl with true appreciation. To Supergirl’s embarrassing delight, Lena’s hand found hers.

“You didn’t come all the way here just to boost my ego, did you?” Lena asked with a raised eyebrow, curious as to why Supergirl would have ever shown up on her home balcony at night. “Not that I’m unhappy to see you here, of course, but... What brings you here?” 

As if right on cue, Ruby shouted from the other room, “Lena, what are you _doing_?”

Lena actually jumped at the shout like she had almost forgotten about her other visitors. “One second, sweetheart,” Lena called back, before she looked at Supergirl with sudden realization. Then, she smirked and looked like she was waiting for confirmation of what she had thought of.

“Kara Danvers told me you have some visitors,” Supergirl told Lena with a glance over her shoulder to x-ray vision the other room. Ruby was showing Sam something on her phone and laughing while Sam just looked confused. She looked back to Lena and went on with a grin, “And that one of them was pretty excited about you knowing Supergirl.” 

Impressed, Lena laughed and rubbed her thumb over Supergirl’s knuckles. “You just keep proving you’re actually perfect,” She mused with wonder in her voice, one eyebrow raised high, “I don’t know how you manage it.”

Cheekily, Supergirl shrugged. “I think you’re the perfect one. But, really, do you think she would want to meet me?” Supergirl asked with a motion towards the other room, “Of course, I can leave if you want me to. I should probably stop dropping by places unannounced.”

With a roll of her eyes, Lena scoffed and assured her, “You’re always welcome here. In fact, if you ever want to drop by for a visit with _me_ in particular...” She dropped a playful wink towards Supergirl.

Supergirl unintentionally choked on air. She coughed violently for a split second before regaining her composure. She smiled awkwardly. _Way to freakin’ go, Kara._ Why could she never control herself around Lena?

The embarrassing scene only seemed to amuse Lena, though. However, Lena’s eyes went gentler and she told Supergirl appreciatively, “Ruby will be so excited to meet you.”

Her confidence flowing back to her, Supergirl stood taller and puffed out her chest slightly. She grinned in a cheesy manner and asked, “Then we better not keep her waiting, huh?”

Lena’s smile only grew, and she eagerly tugged Supergirl by the hand. She didn’t let go, and Supergirl certainly did not stop her, as she lead Supergirl down the hallway, which seemed unreasonably long, and into a big room. 

Ruby had moved onto the couch with Sam. She held her phone in front of her Mother, still, though this time Sam actually seemed to understand whatever was going on. She and Ruby were both smiling and Sam was laughing quietly. It was a strangely sweet sight. 

Not a second after Lena and Supergirl had stepped into the room, Sam and Ruby looked up. “Lena, you’re back— No freaking way,” Ruby stopped mid sentence and her eyes went wide, her mouth fell open comically. Her eyes were glued to Supergirl, but then switched between Supergirl to Lena and back again. “No. Freaking. Way.” 

Sam looked just as confused, her gaze switching between Supergirl and Lena before it finally landed on Lena. She mouthed the words _are you serious?_ to Lena, clearly unbelieving that a superhero was actually standing in this living room. Sometimes Supergirl thought about how a lot of humans might not actually realize she exists until they see her in real life. As in, they know she exists, they see her and Superman on the news and media, but since it’s just on a screen it doesn’t seem quite real. 

Lena looked so happy and excited to be making Ruby happy, Ruby looked like she was about to burst from excitement, and Sam looked like she was nearing a small heart attack.

“Hi, Ruby,” Supergirl greeted with her signature smile, her hand raised in a small wave. She looked at Sam brightly, too, and greeted her as well, “Miss Arias. It’s good to meet both of you.”

“In case you haven’t figured it out,” Lena said jokingly as she gestured to the superhero next to her, “this is my friend Supergirl.” Because the Girl of Steel herself was definitely not a recognizable woman.

 _Friend._ Lena thought of Kara and Supergirl both as her friend. Supergirl couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at being friends with Lena Luthor. And, if it was as obvious as it seemed, Lena was equally as prideful of being friends with the one and only Girl of Steel.

“No way,” Ruby repeated, completely stupefied. “Are you actually Supergirl?”

Entertained and proud, Supergirl replied teasingly, “Yes way.” She spared a glance to Lena, who gave her an encouraging nod, before her boots lifted off the floor and she floated up a few feet. She struck her famous Supergirl pose in the air, and Ruby practically squealed in her excitement.

Ruby jumped off of the couch so fast she nearly tripped, and Sam was close behind in standing up, though more calmly than her daughter. Excitedly, Ruby ran to Supergirl as Supergirl drifted gently back onto the floor. She smiled at the superhero with so much happiness and disbelief that Supergirl was sure she was going to burst with all of the excitement.

“I can’t believe this,” Ruby said breathlessly as she stopped just in front of Supergirl stared at the her. 

“Well?” Supergirl asked expectantly, and when Ruby hesitated, Supergirl laughed and pulled Ruby into the hug she knew Ruby honestly wanted. Supergirl was very used to meeting girls Ruby’s age and younger that looked up to her and she was more than happy to give the ones who wanted it a hug. Supergirl loved meeting girls like Ruby. The sparkle in their eyes when meeting their hero, and the fact their hero was her and she was inspiring them, made Supergirl so genuinely happy. It was crazy how she was somehow an inspiration to so many girls in the city.

When she and Ruby parted, Supergirl turned her attention to Sam, who stood close behind Ruby, still looking shocked. 

“Nice to meet you, Miss Arias,” Supergirl told her and offered a handshake. Sam shook her hand reverently for a second.

“You as well,” Sam said in turn, “Uh, Supergirl.”

“So you seriously know Lena?” Ruby asked, the smile never leaving her face.

In faux offense, Lena gaped at the girl. She raised her hand over her heart like she couldn’t believe Ruby, and asked, “Did you really think I would lie to you?” Ruby shrugged teasingly at Lena in response and Lena rolled her eyes in good nature. 

“I do, in fact, know Lena,” Supergirl assured Ruby with a laugh, before she glanced at Lena and added, “I like to think we’re pretty close.” If the lip-bite Lena gave in response was any indication she felt the same, Supergirl would take it. 

“This is _so_ cool,” Ruby exclaimed, and then she looked serious and she said, “I have so many questions.”

Supergirl laughed. “Sure thing, I’ll answer what I can. But, uh, first,” She pointed to the table and the board on top behind Ruby and Sam, “What are we playing? I’m awesome at board games, just so you know.”

The glimmer of excitement in Ruby’s eye became tenfold. Eagerly, she reached forward and grabbed Supergirl’s hand to pull her towards the couch. “We’re playing Clue. Lena’s shit at it.”

“Ruby, watch your language,” Sam warned with wide eyes and an apologetic glance to the superhero.

Supergirl, however, was entirely entertained. She sat down on the couch next to Ruby and looked at Lena as Lena and Sam sat down on the floor. “Really, Miss Luthor, you can’t play Clue?” 

“She’s an amazing business woman but she really can’t do a thing in board games,” Sam informed Supergirl with a gentle smile towards Lena. She looked a lot more comfortable, now, which made Supergirl even more satisfied. Plus, the knowledge that Lena was bad at board games was, for whatever reason, incredibly entertaining to Supergirl.

“I’m not that bad,” Lena argued, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. With a mumbly voice she defended herself by saying, “I’m still learning, okay?”

“You’ll figure it out,” Supergirl assured her.

“Not after she loses again,” Ruby said challengingly, and Lena gave her an equally challenging expression.

“I think I can beat all of you,” Supergirl said casually with a shrug. It was taking all of her self control to not smile and give away that she was teasing— for the most part, anyway.

Her ploy went perfectly. Ruby laughed loudly and got even more competitive at this. “Can you imagine what everyone would say if I beat Supergirl at something?” She asked to no one in particular before she met Supergirl’s eyes and added, “You’re on, Supergirl.”

“Okay, okay. Don’t go easy on me,” Supergirl told Ruby, unable to help her smile any longer. 

She really liked Sam and Ruby, Supergirl decided.

—

Humming like she were concentrated, Supergirl eyed the little metal pieces on the game board. She eyed her own cards for a moment, and then she sat up straight like she made a decision. Supergirl picked up a character piece and a weapon and slid them into the room of her choice as she said, “I’m gonna say Colonel Mustard, with the... Rope, in the study.” 

Lena gave a huffy little sigh and flashed Supergirl the card with Colonel Mustard on it. She had her hand cupped around one side of it, clearly trying to prevent Ruby and Sam from cheating. Supergirl nearly laughed at her.

“Thanks. I’m done, now.” Supergirl said and ended her turn.

Supergirl couldn’t help her smile as Lena’s heart spiked. Every single time she realized it was her turn, her heartbeat sped up and she got this beautiful look of concentration on her. Her eyebrows pushed together, her eyes narrowed, her tongue was pushed just slightly out of the corner of her lips.

While Ruby, Sam, and Supergirl each had one of the pre-made little slips of paper with a chart on it to keep track of the game... Lena had that along with three pages of notebook paper next to her. She had been scribbling down note after note about everything— from whatever deductions she had made about the weapons, rooms, and characters, to random notes to herself as she tried to figure out everything about the game. She was really, truly, trying very hard, even if it wasn’t to much avail.

Lena rolled the dice and smirked when she rolled a perfect 12. She moved her piece—she had chosen Mr. Green purely because she liked the color and didn’t really get that the little colored pieces represented characters—into the dining hall. She then stared down at her cards, holding them close to her face. She peeked at Sam every now and then to make sure Sam wasn’t looking. Supergirl honestly adored how into the game Lena was.

Suddenly, Lena’s eyes snapped up to meet Supergirl’s. She warned in total seriousness, “You better keep your x-ray vision in check, darling.”

This drew a laugh from Supergirl, Sam, and Ruby alike. The alien raised her hands in defeat and joked, “Darn it. You got me.” Supergirl could admit that she had cheated in board games before, mostly to annoy Alex. It had taken two months for Alex to catch on and now she kept a close eye on Kara.

Lena bit her lip as she tried to control her smirk at Supergirl. Then the focus completely returned to her and she moved the pieces she wanted to move. “The... The blue one, with this. What is this one?”

“That’s the pipe,” Ruby supplied.

Lena squinted at the tiny metal object. “That’s boring,” She mumbled and Supergirl grinned. “Okay, anyway, I suggest it was the blue one, with the pipe, in the dining hall.”

“Wrong, wrong, wrong,” Sam chirped and held a card for only Lena to see. Lena looked disappointed as she scribbled on her paper. “Sorry,” Sam added.

“Well, I’m done, then.” Lena finished, still staring at her papers. “This is ridiculous.”

With the dice in her hand, Sam offered Lena a condoling shoulder pat. “You’ll get better someday,” She assured Lena, which fueled Kara and Ruby’s amusement. She rolled, then, and nearly pouted as she rolled a measly three. Which, in fact, meant she couldn’t even move her piece into a room. She was stuck in the hallway and her turn was over already.

This was Lena’s opportunity. She smiled all too sweetly at Sam. “You’ll get better someday,” She echoed Sam’s own words to her with a pat to Sam’s shoulder.

That had Ruby positively howling with laughter while Sam just went on with her business, ignoring Lena. “Way to go, Aunt Lena!” Ruby cheered, and Supergirl loved the accomplished look on Lena’s face. Lena really loved Ruby, Supergirl could tell. “You just roasted my Mom.”

“Hey, Ruby, who controls your bedtime?” Sam warned pointedly, only half-way joking.

Ruby looked completely taken aback. “Mom,” She scolded with a glance to Supergirl. It completely read _please shut up Mom you’re embarrassing me._ Supergirl was completely used to seeing that look on Alex around Eliza.

So, Supergirl joked herself, “My bedtime is 10 P.M. on a good night.” It seemed to make Ruby relax, and Lena laughed, so Supergirl was rather proud of herself. “What? Superheroes gotta sleep sometimes.”

“And, on that note,” Ruby smirked, “I’m gonna get this suggestion over with.” She rolled quickly and messily, one die rolling off of the table, but she rolled a six and she moved into the dining hall as well. “Colonel Mustard, candlestick, dining room.” 

Supergirl knew that suggestion was just a bunch of random things strung together to get the suggestion over with. Still, as per the rules, Supergirl flashed Ruby her candlestick card with a smile.

Looking prideful, Ruby sat up straighter and clutched her cards in her lap. “I’m gonna make a final accusation,” She announced confidently.

Sam groaned and Lena looked up so quickly Supergirl thought her neck popped. 

“I’m accusing...” Ruby trailed, gathering the two pieces she wanted into her palm, “Miss Scarlet. She used the revolver in the study.” The red piece and silver revolver were smacked down into the study, bouncing twice before stopping. Ruby leaned back and crossed her arms confidently. 

Sam honestly looked like she was hoping her daughter was incorrect. She was close, Supergirl was sure, and hadn’t expected Ruby to make a final accusation so soon. Lena was probably less close than Sam was, but she definitely wanted to figure it out and now she couldn’t.

Sam glanced to Supergirl and waved to the little black folder in the middle of the game board. “So, Supergirl? Wanna do the honors?”

Supergirl clapped her hands together and reached for the black folder. “And...” She put on a bad announcer voice and pulled out the three cards. She flipped through them one by one. “The culprit was, indeed, Miss Scarlet. She murdered Mr. Boddy in the study, and yes, with the revolver.” 

Lena and Sam both exclaimed “No!” at the same time.

“So, Detective Ruby wins!” Supergirl announced with a happy smile. Ruby threw her hands up, her cards scattering around the room, and she cheered. Lena just grabbed all of her papers in annoyance that she didn’t win, while Sam congratulated her daughter despite looking upset she had rolled so badly that last time. 

“I beat Supergirl!” Ruby declared proudly and happily. She looked like she was still unsure that this whole situation was real— that she got to meet Supergirl, let alone hang out with Supergirl, Lena, and her Mom and play games. 

With a laugh and a defeated sigh, Supergirl pulled Ruby into a side-hug on the couch. “Good job, Ruby!” She told her with cheer. “I’m really good at board games, so you’re just killer, I guess.”

“Thanks, Supergirl,” Ruby laughed and hugged the hero tightly. “This is all so cool, I still can’t believe it.”

“Well, believe it,” Supergirl insisted teasingly. She hugged Ruby for a moment longer before she pulled back and gave a satisfied sigh to the two ladies she was really beginning to like and Lena. “I should probably go soon. The city’s been quiet for this long, there’s bound to be something soon.”

Ruby let out a barely noticeable _aww_ but didn’t complain, and Sam stood up from where she sat on the floor. “Ruby and I should be getting to bed, anyway. I’m exhausted from our flight.” 

“Flying can be tiring, trust me,” Supergirl joked and Sam laughed in return.

“I’m not tired, Mom,” Ruby argued, but then an instant later she yawned behind her hand and Sam gave her a look. “Okay, maybe a little,” Ruby admitted.

Lena finally looked up from her mess of notes, accepting her loss, and smiled up at Sam. “You and Ruby go on and go to bed,” She offered, “I’ll clean the game up.” Lena’s gaze shifted to Supergirl, then, and with a grin to Supergirl she said to Sam, “I’d like a moment with Supergirl, alone, if you don’t mind.” It was phrased as a statement to Sam, though there was the undertone that showed she was asking Supergirl if that was okay with her.

Supergirl gave a slight nod, just noticeable enough for Lena to see.

To Supergirl’s confusion, Sam got this knowing look on her face and she said, “ _Oh_ , I see.” She mouthed something to Lena that Supergirl couldn’t see. Lena scoffed and hit Sam’s leg with her hand. Sam laughed and then looked at Ruby, “Come on, let’s go.”

Ruby stood up off the couch and looked at Supergirl with a bright smile. “Bye, Supergirl.”

“See ya,” Supergirl said in turn and raised her fist up. Ruby laughed and gave her a fist bump before going around the coffee table and joining her Mother. 

“You know, I can definitely see why Lena likes you so much,” Sam admitted with a teasing smile towards Supergirl.

“I can say the same about you two,” Supergirl responded easily. Sam was a truly genuine woman and Ruby was energetic and fun, and Supergirl completely adored them.

Sam gave a short nod with a smile. “Have a good night, Supergirl,” Sam said cheerfully as she and Ruby started walking out of the room.

“You, too, Miss Arias!” 

With those two gone, Supergirl finally turned her full attention to Lena, who was still seated on the floor. What she noticed immediately was the paper Lena was holding. Lena had gathered up everybody’s papers that they were writing the clues on and she was staring intently at Supergirl’s. 

Supergirl stood up off the couch and walked around the coffee table. She slid down onto the floor next to Lena closely and smiled sillily at her. “See something interesting, Detective?” 

Lena made a little noise and looked at Supergirl with a smile. “You didn’t even touch this for the last 20 minutes of the game,” Lena observed and in response Supergirl tilted her head to the side. The little paper was held up to make her point, and Lena called her out, “You figured it all out before anybody.” 

Sure enough, the little paper had every box crossed out except for the three that were correct. And, Lena was right, Supergirl hadn’t even bothered looking at the paper after she had written that.

“I’m surprised you noticed that,” Supergirl said simply with a laugh, but it was enough of a confirmation. She had wanted Ruby to win, what else could she say? So, Supergirl just nudged Lena and said, “Our little secret?”

Lena drew her fingers across her lips in a zipping motion. “Our secret,” She agreed. Then, her gaze drifted down to her lap and she smiled. She met Supergirl’s eyes again after just a moment and told her with genuine appreciation, “Thank you for doing all this. Really.” 

“You don’t have to thank me for anything,” Supergirl immediately insisted. She could say with all honesty that she had fun and she really liked Ruby and Sam. Plus, when it had made Lena so happy, too? Of course Supergirl didn’t mind.

Everything felt strangely normal then, when Supergirl set her arms around Lena’s shoulder and Lena immediately leaned into her. It was like that first day that Lena had met Supergirl, and she slept exactly like that, and now it just felt completely normal. It felt like Supergirl could sit like that with Lena everyday and it felt like she wasn’t a superhero right then. 

It was different, the way Lena made her feel. Lena made her feel like Kara even when she was supposed to be Supergirl. Lena made her feel like she was a hero even when she was just Kara. Lena made the line between Kara Danvers and Supergirl fade away and make the two sides into one, and that was something nobody else did to her. It was a _good_ different— Supergirl loved it. 

National City, however, never rested when Supergirl wished it would and it always seemed to come back to villainous life the minute she was enjoying herself. Her hearing picked up the sound of wailing sirens four blocks away, and a small selfish part of her wanted to let the cops handle it (after all, Maggie had complained before about Supergirl doing their work), though a gunshot sounded soon after, so she was definitely needed.

Ever the intelligent woman, Lena seemed to pick up Supergirl’s thought before Supergirl even moved. “Duty calls?” Lena asked, her voice mumbled against Supergirl’s shoulder. The words sparked memory of Lena saying the exact words to Kara, but Supergirl brushed the thought off.

“Yeah,” Supergirl confirmed. Lena lingered for a split second longer before she moved away from the hero and stood up. She offered her hand down for Supergirl, which Supergirl found somewhat amusing. She took the offered hand anyway and let herself be helped up. 

Lena’s hand came up to touch the House of El symbol on the Super’s chest, her fingertips just barely grazing the material. “Go save some lives, then,” She said with a smile, and Supergirl could see the adoration in her eyes. It made Supergirl feel a surge of pride at what she does.

“Sure thing,” Supergirl said with a quick nod. She wavered for a moment, hesitant about leaving. Finally, with a surge of confidence and a sense of _screw it_ , Supergirl surged forward and planted a quick kiss on Lena’s cheek. “Thanks for letting me hang out with all of you.”

Before Lena could respond, and before Supergirl could truly register her own actions, Supergirl stepped past Lena. She zipped back to the balcony before Lena could even blink an eye and she took off into the starry sky to chase down the sirens. 

She barely heard Lena, still in her penthouse, say, “I know I’ve said the balcony isn’t an entrance, but it’s not an exit, either.”

Supergirl grinned.

—

“Kara, what’s wrong?”

The door to Kara’s apartment was pushed open violently and Alex stormed in. Alex had a determined, worried look on her face, and her hand was rested on the gun on her hip. She looked completely prepared to shoot and ask questions later.

“Kara, are you okay—“ Alex called out, before she was cut off by Kara.

A very panicked Kara rushed out of her bedroom. She held two dresses, one red and one blue, and she ran up to Alex. “Which one of these should I wear to the gala?” She asked her sister with pure anxiety in her voice as she stared at the two dresses, picking apart every single detail about them. “Or should I wear a totally different one?”

Alex sighed heavily and relaxed. Her hand fell off of her holster and she crossed her arms. “Why did you sound like there was an emergency?” She asked, completely unimpressed with the SOS she had received from Kara. The message had sounded more like a villain had Kara held hostage with kryptonite rather than deciding on an outfit. She had been working at the DEO and had rushed out of there for an _emergency_.

Incredulously, Kara gaped at her. “This is an emergency!” She exclaimed in panic, shaking the dresses to make her point, “I have no idea what to wear, and I know Lena will be wearing something really, like, fancy, and beautiful, and I don’t want her to feel embarrassed by me!”

“Why do you do this to me?”

“Because I’m your sister and you love me.” 

For a moment Alex simply looked at her sister to get her annoyance across. Finally, though, she gave a pitying sigh and pursed her lips. “You want to impress Lena?” She asked for clarification.

Kara nodded eagerly. 

Alex clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, concentrated in her thoughts, and she looked between Kara and the dresses in hand. Finally, she snapped up her gaze to meet Kara’s, and she instructed, “Neither of them. Wear the suit you got last year— The navy blue one. When in doubt, go with blue. Blue’s your color, remember that.”

Surprised, Kara blinked and her hands with the dresses lowered slightly. “A suit?” She questioned, unsure if that was the best option.

“We both know you like wearing them better than dresses. I’m still shocked you let Winn give your Supergirl costume a cheerleader skirt,” Alex reminded her with a knowing look. “And, trust me, Lena will love it.” 

Kara chewed her bottom lip nervously. “You’re sure?” She asked.

“Positive.” Alex said with confidence. She dropped her arms from where they were crossed and she waved towards Kara’s bedroom. “Go put it on. And wear the shoes Eliza bought you.” 

With a strained, breathy laugh, Kara darted back towards her bedroom so quickly all Alex saw was a blur that she knew was her sister. There was the sound of hangers being moved on a rack, the thin metal scraping against wood, as Kara searched for the exact suit Alex told her to wear. A minute later, Kara was back in front of Alex, this time donned in a navy blue suit and a much more hopeful, comfortable expression on her face.

“So?” Kara asked Alex, spreading her arms sillily wide to let Alex look at the whole outfit. “What do you think?” 

“What do I think?” Alex asked rhetorically. Then, gentler, she smiled and told Kara, “I think I was right. You look great, sis.” The words made Kara give a relieved smile and Alex relished it for a moment. She then waved towards the couch, meaning for Kara to sit, and she asked, “You have a scrunchie?”

Kara lifted her hand to her own hair, and she seemed to remember that her hair was cascading down her shoulders rather than in a Kara Danvers signature updo. She smiled at Alex and sat on the couch, while Alex walked behind the couch to stand behind Kara.

“You think this is good enough for Lena?” Kara asked for reassurance as she pulled the band off of her wrist and gave it to Alex. “The suit. I mean, me in the suit.”

Alex pulled Kara’s wavy hair behind her shoulders and said dryly but truthfully, “Trust me, one look at you and she’ll be knocked right out of her pretentious high heels.” She grouped all of Kara’s thick hair into her hand and started working it into a bun as Kara laughed at her words.

“That sounds like a good thing?” Kara half-said and half-asked. 

“It’s a good thing,” Alex confirmed. She twisted the band around Kara’s bun a couple times until it was secure, and she pulled a few strands loose to frame Kara’s face. She set her hands on her sister’s shoulders and gave a reassuring squeeze, “Kara, you look amazing, I promise. Don’t worry so much.”

Kara took a deep breath, before she set her hand on top of Alex’s and gave it a squeeze. “Thanks, Alex,” She said gratefully. She let go of Alex’s hand and stood up from the couch, running her hands down the back of her trousers to smooth the fabric out.

Alex stood up straighter and looked at Kara aimlessly for a second. Eventually, she observed, “You really, really like Lena, don’t you?” It was more of a statement than a question. “I’ve never seen you this worked up over somebody.” 

A helpless shrug was given in response. Kara smiled lowly and she explained, “I’ve never known anyone like her, so, you know... And, I’m sorry that you don’t... Like her very much.” 

Immediately, Alex shook her head. “I just want you to be happy, Kara.” And, then, with a serious expression and a cold tone, she ordered, “If Lena does anything to hurt you, though, you tell me immediately. Promise.”

“She won’t,” Kara assured Alex with a soft smile. She did truly appreciate that Alex was looking out for her, even if Alex was a bit extreme in her methods and thoughts sometimes. “But, if it makes you feel better about it, I promise.”

Alex nodded. “So... Should I be expecting to see Lena at game night or the bar anytime soon?” She asked, and Kara gave a sheepish shrug. Kara had said twice now that she was going to ask Lena, but each time she had chickened out.

“It’s hard,” Kara defended herself, though the hint of sadness in her voice was evident. She really did want to ask Lena, that much was obvious.

With a sigh, Alex rounded the couch and pulled Kara in for a hug. She held Kara tightly, Kara doing the same to her. A minute or two later, Alex pulled back, and she gave her sister a reassuring smile. 

“Go have fun, alright?” Alex told her. “And don’t try too hard to impress her. She likes you the way you are.”

Kara’s smile returned and she nodded. 

— 

Wine, heels, suits, people chattering everywhere about nothing... The gala was just about like every other gala in the history of National City. In other words, there were fancy men and women all about and plenty of businessmen staring at Lena like she were a piece of meat for them to go after rather than the powerful CEO she is. 

At least Ruby seemed entertained. While Sam and Lena had each taken to their first glass of wine, Ruby had wandered not too far off to bug some CEO with a strange mustache. 

“So,” Sam said easily as she watched Ruby and swirled the wine around in her glass, “Um... Kara Danvers is Supergirl, huh?”

Lena choked on her wine. She coughed violently for a moment before she regained herself, and of course, took another drink to counterbalance it. She stared at Sam, and asked like she hadn’t heard her friend correctly, “Pardon?”

Sam looked away from Ruby to cast an _are you kidding me look_ at Lena. “You heard me,” She said, and took a sip of her wine as she focused back on Ruby, “I’m not stupid, Lena.” 

This forced a laugh from Lena. “Well, I am, apparently,” She huffed and shook her head, “It took me a long time to figure it out.” Kara had been in close contact with her for how long, she had literally slept in Supergirl’s arms, and somehow she failed to notice the two were the same person. Meanwhile, Sam met Kara once for about five minutes and met Supergirl once for longer and had pieced it all together.

“In your defense, you’re a little more in love with her than I am,” Sam laughed, “love is blind, after all.”

Quirking her eyebrow, Lena scoffed and threw Sam a side glance. “You have to stop saying that. I don’t like Kara or Supergirl like _that_ ,” She argued with a roll of her eyes. Sam gave her an unbelieving look and Lena just downed the rest of her wine. Kara was sweet, and beautiful, and muscular, and Lena never smiled like the way she did around Kara— But that didn’t mean Lena felt anything towards her. Of course not. 

“Whatever you say, Lena, sorry...” Sam said with one hand raised in defeat. “Did it seriously take you a long time to figure it out?”

“You have no idea,” Lena mumbled bitterly.

“Did she tell you herself?”

“No,” Lena shook her head, “it just hit me all of a sudden. She... Doesn’t know that I know, though.”

Sam snapped her gaze to meet Lena’s and she gave Lena an incredulous look. “What?” She asked, baffled. “Why wouldn’t you tell her?”

“I tried!” Lena defended herself. She all but pouted and sighed. “She got called away as soon as I was trying to,” Lena explained. As much as she respected that Supergirl had business to attend to, and saving lives was more important than a little conversation with Lena, the fact they had been interrupted still made Lena a bit upset. 

The expression Sam had turned sympathetic. She set her free hand on Lena’s back and rubbed it gently. “Okay, that sucks,” She offered, and then asked, “You’re still gonna tell her, right?”

“That’s the plan,” Lena confirmed with a nod. Although, it wasn’t much of a plan, per se. She didn’t know when exactly, or what she would say, but she was going to. She wanted Kara to know. She wanted to know everything herself, too. If Kara would, in fact, leave her because she knew the secret, she would rather the band-aid be ripped off. Or, if she and Kara would be okay, she would like to know that sooner rather than later, so she could relax. 

”You look worried about that,” Sam observed with an empathetic look towards her friend. “I don’t know her, but I don’t think she’ll be mad or anything. I mean, she’s literally a superhero, she’s pretty nice. Right?”

This successfully drew a smile onto Lena’s dreary face. “That’s an understatement,” She told Sam surely, “she’s too good to be true.” As both Kara and Supergirl, she was the kindest, most generous and selfless person Lena had ever met.

Appropriately, Sam gave her the same unbelieving expression that meant _are you sure you don’t like her?_ and Lena gave her a little shove.

Just as Lena was about to playfully scold Sam further, a voice sounded beside them some ways away. “Lena Luthor,” He said, and Lena immediately recognized the scornful, arrogant voice.

Sure enough, she pursed her lips tightly and turned her head to see Morgan Edge striding up to her and Sam. What surprised Lena was the pure rage on Edge’s face. There was a fire in his eyes that Lena hadn’t seen before— she had seen him mad, but it was like that rage had been tripled. Not to mention, he looked somewhat messy. His hair was ruffled, his suit looked somewhat crooked on his body, and parts of the sleeve was torn.

“Morgan Edge,” Lena greeted with just as much contempt as he had. “To what do I owe the pleasure? I thought my assistant had gotten the message across that I’m not interested in any offer of yours.” 

Sam clearly wanted to hear that story later.

“Right, right,” Edge said with a sarcastic chuckle. He waved his pointer finger to make his point, “First, you sic your crazy assistant on me. Now, let me guess who was responsible for trying to _kill_ me?”

Unamused, Lena took another drink. “What are you talking about, Mr. Edge?” She asked, despite not really caring about a thing he had to say.

He scoffed at her and glared. “You know exactly what I’m talking about,” He snarled, completely outraged, but Lena just looked at him. “My car just drove off of the goddamn port—“

“Maybe you should retake driver’s ed, then,” Lena suggested with a sarcastic smile.

Edge’s nostrils flared. “You hacked into my car and tried to steer me off the edge of this damn city,” He accused angrily, taking a step forward.

Lena full on smiled at this. “Wait, wait,” She said, pointing with her finger, “You’re accusing me of trying to kill you?” She crossed her arms and added, “Oh, that’s rich.”

Sam butt in, then, stepping up next to Lena. “Look, whatever happened to you, Lena had nothing to do with it,” She defended, her gaze raking down Edge’s tattered appearance. 

“I’ve been trying to buyout your useless company, that guard dog of yours nearly broke my arm,” Edge interjected coolly, “And then, mysteriously, my car steers itself off the road, explodes into the water.” He raised both of his hands to punctuate that point. “Coincidence? I don’t think so.”

Amusement mixed with annoyance, Lena told him, “I don’t put hits on people no matter how much I despise them.”

Edge tapped his temple with his finger and said, “That’s right, you like to do the dirty work _yourself_. You’re a crazy bitch, Lena Luthor.” 

“And you’re an arrogant prick, so...” 

He stepped forward again, this time much too close into Lena’s space, though she stood her ground as he said, “Here I am, sister. Why don’t you man up and finish the job? Stop with the _good_ act and finally prove that you’re worse than your brother?”

Like she was perfectly on cue, Kara came striding up behind Morgan Edge. Lena watched in amusement as Kara stepped directly past him, in between him and Lena, and turned to look at him. “Hi! Remember me?” She said with a sickeningly sweet tone, “I think it’s time for you to go.”

Annoyed, Edge looked right past Kara at Lena and pointed at Kara. “She really is just your guard dog, huh?” He asked with a paired scoff. He turned his attention to Kara and spoke to her like she wasn’t at all equal to him, “Listen, girl, trust me. You don’t get paid nearly enough to defend this deranged trust-fund baby.”

Lena saw Kara visibly stiffen. Kara stood taller, her arms were crossed tightly, and she took a step towards Morgan Edge so that she were just barely away from him. Her forced kindness was completely gone now, and she spoke to Edge with a firm, low, protective voice. “You’re going to leave, right now, and you’re not going to bother Lena again tonight. I’m being very nice right now and I’m not going to be nice if I see you come near her again.”

Right then, Sam set her hand on Lena’s shoulder and whispered to her, “Don’t let that girl go, Lena.” She gave Lena’s shoulder a squeeze to punctuate her statement and let go. 

The fury flared up in Edge’s features again. He stared Kara dead in the eye, but Kara glared right back, unmoving. She refused to back down, she refused to let this man bully Lena, and Lena felt such a surge of love for her. Nobody, not even Sam, had ever been so adamant about sticking up for Lena.

Finally, Edge smirked and laughed dryly. He stepped back out of the space Kara had invaded, and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Time’s running out, Lena Luthor,” He reminded her in a purely threatening manner, “Keep that in mind.” 

“Keep in mind that I couldn’t care less,” Lena retorted with a smile. She caught the flicker of irritation resurface in Edge’s smooth facade, but he put himself back together. He flashed a sour look, and with that, he turned and stalked away.

Kara huffed and only then did she finally relax from her protective state. She turned to face Sam and Lena, her crossed arms fell to her sides, and her hard features immediately turned soft. 

“Hey, guys,” Kara chirped happily, a stark contrast to her behavior towards Edge. It was enough to nearly give Lena whiplash. “What’s up?”

Sam laughed. “Hey, Kara,” She greeted, and then her gaze flickered between Kara and Lena. That specific look flashed back to her, and she said with a smile, “I’m gonna leave you two alone.”

Eyes going immediately wide, Lena whispered, “ _Sam_.” Samantha Arias was going to inevitably be the death of her, apparently.

“What?” Sam asked innocently, “I’m gonna go get food with Ruby.” She patted Lena’s shoulder, waved to Kara, and disappeared to go hunt down Ruby and fancy food.

Somewhat embarrassed, Lena tore her gaze from the retreating Sam and moved to look at Kara. Lena bit her lip and smiled. “My hero,” She gushed to Kara, who immediately laughed in such an overzealous, nervous manner, “Always coming to my rescue. Thank you, Kara.” 

“I think you could’ve handled him on your own, but... I get sorta defensive,” Kara admitted with a sheepish shrug. She said, Lena thought to herself, like she wasn’t a superhero who’s instinct was to save people. 

And, now, with the drama all calmed down, Lena finally was able to take a good look at Kara. Which meant that Lena had to immediately take a drink of her wine. Kara was wearing a _suit_. A blue suit, a _navy_ blue suit, and she couldn’t help but notice how the sleeves perfectly hugged Kara’s biceps, and— _Wow_ , was all Lena could possibly think. The Kryptonian DNA really did Kara some favors.

“You look stunning,” Lena gushed, her eyes glued to Kara’s outfit. She forced herself to break her gaze away from that to meet Kara’s own, and she added, “Very, very handsome, Kara.”

Kara immediately broke into a huge grin. “I— Look at _you_ ,” She stuttered, much more Kara-Danvers-like than Supergirl-like. Her cheeks were nearly pink and she waved her hands to motion towards Lena’s _everything_ , “You’re so gorgeous, it’s... _Lena_ , you’re so beautiful.”

When Kara said it, it was easier to believe. But Lena just laughed and told her, “I didn’t know you were a suit girl. You’re making me want to pull mine out of my closet finally.”

Lena pretended not to notice the glass in Kara’s hand crack. “You have suits?” Kara asked, her shiny eyes completely wide, her voice making it sound like she had just discovered the eight wonder of the world. 

“I do, in fact,” Lena confirmed in a voice that was nothing but flirty, “A year or two back I wore a lot of three-piece suits... I haven’t in some time.” She tilted her head slightly and added, “Maybe I should again.”

“Yes!” Kara barked out instantly. She blinked and composed herself. “Uh, I mean, I’m sure you would look really good. You should wear them. If you want, I mean.” 

One of Lena’s eyebrows quirked up in response to that. She was most definitely pulling that red three-piece suit out of her closet, now. Specifically to make Kara blush and forget how to form a coherent sentence. 

Then, with amusement, Lena took notice of another piece of Kara’s breathtaking outfit. She chuckled as she shook her head at Kara. “Look at you, wearing heels. I never thought I’d see the day.” Kara was, indeed, wearing wedges—Nowhere near as painful looking as Lena’s stilettos, but still, they were heels on Kara Danvers, notorious heel hater.

Kara laughed and stuttered. Shrugging, she told Lena, “I know, I know. My sister said they would look good with, uh, everything else.” 

“Well, Agent Danvers and I can agree on something, after all,” Lena confirmed. Kara definitely looked good, which was understatement. It was nice to know Alex Danvers had some taste, if nothing else. 

Laughing, Kara shrugged and shook her head at Lena’s joke. She then jerked her thumb in the direction of Edge, who had taken to bothering some poor woman with bright red lipstick, and she asked, “You haven’t had any more troubles with anyone like him tonight, right? Before I got here? Just making sure.”

The protectiveness Kara had made Lena smile. “No,” She denied, shaking her head, “Somehow I’ve managed to avoid Maxwell Lord tonight, so that’s been truly surprising. He bothers me every year.” 

Kara rolled her eyes. “My sister met him once, did I tell you that?” She asked, and Lena quirked an eyebrow in response, so she continued, “Yeah, I don’t like him. He tried to go out with her.”

That forced a laugh from Lena. “He _didn’t_ ,” She gasped with amusement, “I can’t imagine she liked that very much. His advancements are... Less than charming, to say the least.”

A look of disgust forced it’s way into Kara. “He flirts with you?” She asked in disbelief, with that protective air rushing back to her. If Lena didn’t know better, she thought she might have seen a flash of jealousy. Kara fake gagged and told Lena, “Now I don’t like him even more.”

“You and me both,” Lena agreed, chuckling lowly. “Sorry for bringing you to his party.”

“No, no,” Kara disagreed without hesitation, her hand coming to rest on Lena’s, “I honestly wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else right now. I like spending time with you.” 

Lena flipped her hand over to intertwine her finger’s with Kara’s. “It’s much nicer to have you here,” She admitted to Kara truthfully. Lena was very glad to have Kara, Sam, and Ruby there with her. Galas tended to be monotonous, but having her three favorite people there made it much more bearable. 

While Kara’s thumb rubbed against her hand in an appreciative response, Lena’s eyes drifted around the room. Men and women chatting about nonsensical matters, Morgan Edge trying to pick up that woman with the red lipstick. Sam and Ruby were hovering directly by the food and apparently Ruby and Sam had both tried caviar and Ruby now looked horrified at the taste. It was a rather entertaining sight. 

“Call me selfish,” Lena started, gaining Kara’s attention as she smiled mischievously. There was a glint of amusement in her eyes as she said tentatively, “But I’d really like some time to have you to myself.” 

Without missing a beat, Kara grinned and said sheepishly, “Well... _I’m_ really selfish then.” 

Happily, Lena set the glass she had down and lead Kara away. Kara followed her eagerly, but stopped her and Lena halfway towards the elevator. Lena laughed quietly as Kara shot a smile to her and, as sneakily as possible, swiped a tray of little sandwiches from the long table with all of the food on it.

Shaking her head and giving Kara an adoring look, Lena kept going with Kara close behind her. Kara smiled innocently at a man who looked at the food tray in her hands while Lena hit the button on the elevator.

The elevator dinged, quiet against the sounds of everybody talking, and the doors slid open. Laughing, Lena pulled Kara inside before anybody noticed and tapped the door button until the doors finally slid shut. 

“Are we supposed to be doing this?” Kara asked.

“Are you supposed to take an entire tray of sandwiches?” Lena countered, entertained, right as Kara was lifting one of the sandwiches to her mouth. 

She halted the second Lena said it, her mouth open, holding the sandwich just outside. “They’re _little_ sandwiches!” Kara defended herself, before finally taking a bite. She held the tray out to offer Lena one.

Lena raised her hand to tell Kara no. “You’re adorable,” She said quietly while Kara grabbed another tiny sandwich to eat. The Kryptonian thing _definitely_ explained a lot about this girl.

The elevator dinged while Kara blushed and stuttered at Lena’s comment. Lena appreciated it for a moment, just watching Kara, but finally she stepped out of the elevator. “Come on, Kara,” She urged.

—

Kara wished she could control herself from positively losing her mind every time Lena did anything even relatively flirty, but that seemed to be an Everest she couldn’t climb. So, instead, Kara just clumsily followed Lena out of the elevator and into the hallway.

The hall was completely dark, not one single light on, and once the elevator closed and took its light with it, it was even darker.

Unable to see, Lena stopped. Kara adjusted so she was holding the tray with one arm, and she gently took Lena’s hand in her own. “I got you,” She whispered and felt Lena squeeze her hand in response. 

Kara peered over her glasses to x-ray into the rooms along the hall as she began to lead Lena. There we go, Kara thought to herself as she saw one room with a balcony. Kara lead Lena to the room, pushed open the already cracked open door, and went inside. 

“Careful,” Kara said, stopping Lena from bumping into a filing cabinet.

“My hero,” Lena joked and kept following Kara.

On the balcony, it was lighter. There was the light of the stars shining, and the bright city lights certainly helped. Kara let go of Lena’s hand and the two of them leaned against the railing. Kara set her tray of food down on the rail next to her, and looked at Lena.

Lena, honest to Rao, looked positively stunning. She was wearing a black dress with straps on her biceps rather than on her shoulders and a very low neckline, and she had dark makeup that was nearly gothic looking. Kara was surprised she didn’t pass out the very second she had saw Lena.

Now, Lena was shaking slightly and her heartbeat was thudding just a second faster than normal. Kara had noticed she got like that every time the two of them went onto a balcony, or even just in the elevator. Each time she remembered Lena telling Supergirl she was afraid of heights and it took all of Kara’s control to not hug her tightly.

“Tell me about Sam and Ruby,” Kara said suddenly, drawing Lena’s attention away from the height that they were at. She figured if Lena was distracted, it might not be so bad.

It seemed to work at least a little bit, because Lena was looking at Kara now rather than out past the railing. She thought for a moment before she began talking. “It was 3 A.M., and L-Corp had just acquired a company,” Lena started, a small smile playing on her face at the memory, “I was in charge of the takeover. Sam was a junior VP at that company and her light was the only one on in the office. I... Walked by and saw her head down over spreadsheets.” Lena shook her head for a moment, just smiling. “She was so focused. And I thought, _her_. I wanna work with her.”

Kara listened as she took another sandwich off of the tray she had borrowed.

“And, somehow we got close. I don’t really know how. She was the first real friend I had,” Lena admitted, “If you think I’m focused on work now, you should’ve seen me then. And, I had no idea how to let someone in. But she was stubborn and practically dragged me out of my office one night and we became friends.”

The thought of Sam trying to get Lena out of her bubble made Kara smile. “I’m glad she was so stubborn,” She told Lena. The thought of Lena being alone for any longer than she was, was terrible.

Nodding, Lena laughed. “Me, too. And, then, I met Ruby. She was littler then. But they, um, sort of became like family, I think. Don’t get me wrong, it took me forever to even dare think like that, because I still can’t imagine how I could ever deserve those two. After having nobody except for the Luthors, how on Earth could I deserve Sam and Ruby? Hell, I don’t know how I managed to get so lucky to get you in my life, either, Kara.” 

Kara slid her arm around Lena’s waist and set her head on Lena’s shoulder to try and silently tell her everything she wanted to say.

Lena’s head rested down onto Kara’s. “I hadn’t seen them since I moved here,” Lena told Kara, “Honestly, I... I don’t know. It had been so long, I was kind of back into my... Previous mindset. That I had nobody, I didn’t need anybody. Not being around them for years, and on top of that, Jess working at the hospital now... I was completely prepared to be alone. Even though I knew that they all were still there for me if I needed them, you know? I’m probably not making any sense.”

“No,” Kara disagreed quickly. She shut her eyes, her head still rested on Lena, and she decided to add her own thoughts to Lena’s. “I think I know what you mean. After, um... After my parents died, I went to Midvale, which is very far from where I had called home. My adoptive parents were perfect, I mean, they tried to be understanding and they treated me very good. I had them.”

Lena moved her hand to cover Kara’s where it rested on Lena’s hip.

Kara appreciated the gesture. She continued slowly, “But, I had lost everyone and everything I had known. And my one family member—Not my adopted family, but blood—that’s still alive didn’t need me anymore. And, Alex... Um, she hated me at first, and everybody at school thought I was weird. And I had all these p—” Kara cleared her throat. “I had a lot of problems. Eliza—my adoptive Mom—she really tried to be understanding of that, and of what happened to me, but honestly she couldn’t understand it. I’d never felt so alone in my life, even though I knew I had her and Jeremiah, and even Alex eventually.”

Kara laughed nervously, and she finished with, “What I mean is, I get what you mean.”

Lena lifted up her head just enough to plant a short, comforting kiss on Kara’s hairline. It made Kara smile. Then, Lena joked, although it might’ve also been serious, “I made this sad, huh? I really should’ve stolen an entire bottle of wine like you took the sandwiches.” 

”Come on,” Kara scolded teasingly, “you didn’t make anything sad. I like hearing about whatever you wanna tell me.” She gave Lena a squeeze then and added, “Even if some of what you tell me is super incorrect. Like, you _definitely_ deserve Sam, and Ruby, and me.” 

Humming, Lena shrugged one shoulder. Tentatively, she said quietly, “I hope you don’t feel alone anymore, Kara.” 

“I don’t, don’t worry. My sister and I are so close now, and I have my friends, Winn and James and J’onn. Plus, now that I’m older, I understand my cousin a lot better.” Kara raised her head off of Lena’s shoulder and met Lena’s eyes as she added with a smile, “And I have _you._ ”

Lena smiled but rolled her eyes and gently smacked Kara’s shoulder like she thought Kara was just being cheesy. 

Which Kara wouldn’t let happen. She caught Lena’s eyes again and said, “Hey, wait a minute. I’m serious.” She wanted to tell Lena everything she felt. She wanted to tell Lena how much she meant to her. Instead, Kara said firmly yet gently at the same time, “The Luthors might have raised you, but they’re not your family, Lena. Sam and Ruby, they’re your family. And you’re just as much a part of my family, too. Sam and Ruby love you. _I_ love you.”

For a moment, Lena seemed like she had no idea what to say. She blinked a few times, her bottom lip quivered slightly, but she didn’t say anything. Finally, her expression melted into a soft smile, and she said quietly, “Thank you.”

Kara smiled and nodded, and the two of them fell into a silence.

The silence felt comfortable, easy, and yet somehow it also felt heavy. Truly, Kara could easily sit with Lena in silence for quite some time, keep each other company and do nothing more. It wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward. However, something between them currently felt weighted. She couldn’t place it for the life of her, but there was something going on between the both of them.

Lena’s eyes were locked onto Kara’s. Her eyes were deep and beautiful, looking at Kara like she wouldn’t rather be looking at anything else, and it evoked a lot of emotion in Kara. It was impossible not to notice how close she was to Lena— She could faintly feel Lena’s breath tickling her face, and she had to concentrate in order to keep her vision focused on Lena’s eyes. 

The heaviness in the air only seemed to grow as Lena’s hand found Kara’s and Kara immediately took hold of it. Lena’s thumb rubbed gentle lines down Kara’s hand, and truly, the simple touch felt like fire to Kara in that second.

“Kara,” Lena whispered suddenly, breaking the thick silence in the air. There was something so frail in her voice, so vulnerable and yet so trusting, that Kara wanted to close the small space between them and hug the woman tightly. She wanted to protect her from the world. All she wanted to do was keep Lena safe.

“Yeah?” Kara asked, her voice just as quiet. It felt like if she spoke any louder she would be ruining something.

Lena’s thumb ceased its movement, and Lena gave Kara’s hand a gentle squeeze, before she let go. Her hands drew gently up Kara’s biceps, up her shoulders. A moment later, Lena’s fingertips were set tentatively on each side of Kara’s face, just barely grazing her jawline. Lena had a look of determination that Kara didn’t know the root of. Kara was frozen to the spot.

After a moment where Lena just held herself in that exact place, Lena’s hands finally moved. Her fingers drifted upwards, over Kara’s cheek, causing Kara to shiver slightly. Her fingers came to a rest on the earpieces of Kara’s glasses, and Kara’s heart immediately stopped.

“Lena,” Kara said instantly, her voice filled with unintentional fear. Her hand shot up to rest atop of Lena’s, halting her movements. 

But Lena didn’t move. She didn’t move her hands away, and she didn’t make any attempt to say anything to Kara.

It was in her smile, in her eyes, and in her heartbeat. Lena’s telltale heart and smile said more than a thousand words.

Kara saw the corners of Lena’s lips tilt up ever so slightly, and her eyes made it clear it was a sad smile more than anything else. Kara saw the glimmer of anxiety mixed with hope and knowledge, and at that exact moment Lena’s fingertips on her glasses felt heavier to her, and Kara immediately understood.

Guiltily, Kara lowered her hand from Lena’s, and Kara could hear the gentle rhythm of Lena’s heartbeat quicken slightly. Her own heart was pounding ruthlessly.

Lena’s eyes didn’t leave Kara’s as she pulled the glasses down Kara’s nose. She pulled the pair completely off, and Kara barely registered her set them to the side. Kara wanted to speak, to say something, to apologize— but she found herself imprisoned in silence while Lena’s hands drifted back up, this time to the back of Kara’s head. Kara felt the the band be pulled from her hair, and subsequently felt her updo fall apart over her shoulders and back.

If the silence had felt heavy before, Kara didn’t know how to describe this. Lena knew she was Supergirl. Lena had figured it out before, and Kara found herself racking her brain trying to pinpoint when. 

“I knew it,” Lena said quietly, victoriously, while she gazed at Kara, at Supergirl.

“Lena, I can—“

The door to the room behind them slammed open, and Kara jumped, startled. Lena was significantly less shocked, but she managed to break her gaze away from Kara. Lena stood up immediately and Kara noticed she stood herself right in front of Kara, blocking her from view. Lena picked up Kara’s glasses and nudged them to Kara, who took them sadly.

“Miss Luthor?” A man with a security uniform was standing in the doorframe, with his flashlight aimed on Lena and Kara. “Party’s on the second floor, y’know,” He said awkwardly, like he were trying to figure out what was going on here, “Uh, you ladies can’t be up here.”

Lena smoothly put on that CEO act of hers, her voice running cool, unduly kind, and professional. “My apologies,” She told the security guard easily while Kara worked to get her own hair back up. “We got a little turned around. We’ll head back down.”

The man gave a brief nod and ducked back out of the room. He remained outside the door, though, Kara knew. He was waiting to make sure the two actually left.

Like nothing had happened, Lena headed for the door. Kara scrambled after her, by far noticeably less put together, because she was truly panicking inside. The man gave the two women a look before he waved for them to follow him and he began walking.

Kara followed a step behind Lena. Her heart was racing, a violent _thud thud thud_ against her chest. Her throat felt constricted, like it would just close off at any moment, and she felt like breathing was a chore rather than a natural occurrence. Lena knew she was Supergirl. Lena knew she was Supergirl. Lena knew everything. 

The man lead them back to the party and gave Lena a warning Kara didn’t hear before he walked off. The gala sounded too loud to Kara. All the noise was blending together and it felt like it was drowning Kara and Kara felt like she was going to have a heart attack.

“Lena—“ Kara croaked. She had to talk to Lena. She had to explain herself to Lena, she had to hear Lena explain how she knew.

But Sam and Ruby walked up at that exact moment. 

“Lena, Kara, there you are!” Sam exclaimed, “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Lena gave Kara a glance, her eyes saying something that Kara couldn’t read in her panic, before she turned her full attention to Sam and Ruby. She was spilling some story she had crafted on the way down from the balcony, from their moment, and Kara couldn’t pay attention enough to hear it.

Not knowing what else to do, and feeling more terrified than she had in ages, Kara stared at the three who had their attention turned away from her. Without another thought, Kara backed away, and then took off to find an escape. She just wanted to go home. Everything felt too loud, too crazy.

She faintly heard Lena’s voice, Lena calling out her name in confusion, but Kara just wanted out of there. Everything was too much. She needed to be able to think.

Kara found a dark room and darted for the window inside. Not caring to change into her Supergirl costume—she was distracted and it was dark out, anyway—Kara fumbled with the latch on the window. It seemed nearly impossible to open in her panic.

Finally, she forced the window open, breaking the latch, and she flew towards her apartment without looking back.

_Lena knows._

Her phone dinged, the sound seeming to be horribly loud in the moment, as she pulled the window of her apartment open and went inside. She fumbled to get her phone out of her pocket, her hands shaking. Trying to focus on her strength, because she did not need to break another phone, she stared at the little screen.

_**Lena:** Kara. _

_**Lena:** You’re my hero. Always. _

Kara tried to gain control of herself. Her mind was going a mile a minute, unstoppable, she couldn’t breathe. Her phone dinged again and she forced herself to look at it.

_**Lena:** It’s okay. _


	8. When It Reigns It Pours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara is scared, Lena comes to terms with her feelings, Alex does Kara a favor, and Lena & Sam meet Kara’s friends.

If there was one thing Lena knew how to do, it was how to act calm. Being raised as a Luthor under Lillian’s scrutinizing eye meant Lena had to figure out rather quickly how to pretend like nothing was going on in her mind, like nothing had ever happened. How to pretend that everything was _so_ normal that it was, in fact extremely, boring. Which, lead to her using the same skill in the workplace. For instance, if she let people like Morgan Edge see Lena Luthor, multi-billionaire and CEO, acting like anything bothered her, she would not be a multi-billionaire and CEO.

So, when a security guard interrupted the _moment_ , for lack of a better term, she was having with Kara, she pulled that cool, calm CEO act forward despite wanting to tell him to get out so she could keep looking at _Kara_. But, that wasn’t an option. She smoothly stood in front of Kara before he could possibly see her face well enough to deduce anything, and gave Kara her glasses as she talked to him, assuring him they would leave the balcony.

Further, when Sam and Ruby came walking up to them, Lena pressed on with her act. Despite her mind absolutely shrieking at her, thinking holy _hell_ she was _right_ , Kara Danvers _is_ Supergirl— She smiled at Sam and Ruby and gave the tranquil answers she crafted on the spot. 

The thing that made her calm façade stutter was when she turned around to address Kara only to find that Kara wasn’t there. 

“Kara—“ She started and stopped as she noticed the woman in question missing. “Shit,” She said too loudly, a pitch too high to be read as anything other than sheer _panic_ at the realization Kara was gone. 

Lena turned back to Sam and Ruby, who looked equally confused and possibly concerned (with the added look of warning from Sam who did not want Ruby to be exposed to such _language_ ). “I... I need to text Kara,” She said, mostly to herself, though she was waving her hand between herself and Sam.

Understanding the silent order, Sam fumbled around in her purse for Lena’s phone that she had been keeping safe for her. Once she had attained it, she held it out to Lena who grabbed it desperately.

And yet, despite her desperation, the moment Lena opened up her messages with Kara she froze with her thumbs hovering above the keyboard. What could she say? What _should_ she say? 

Taking in a sharp breath, Lena typed the first words that came to her mind. The honest truth and the reassurance Lena hoped Kara needed. _Kara, you’re my hero. Always. It’s okay._ There was no possible way she could peg what exactly was going through Kara’s mind, but Lord, Lena hoped this was fixable. 

Embarrassingly, Lena jumped as Sam’s hand came to a rest on her shoulder. She nearly dropped her phone in the startle, but recovered easily and noticed something on the little screen as Sam apologized. Lena wasn’t born yesterday, she saw the word _read_ under her messages. Kara had seen it. And, yet, the typing bubble wasn’t popping up to indicate Kara had any intention of responding. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably at the sight.

“Hey,” Sam asked quietly, forcing Lena’s attention away from the phone, “do you want to go home? You seem kinda... You know.” Her eyes had sympathy to them mixed with confusion because, of course, she had no idea what was going on, even less so than Lena. Lena at least knew the beginning of why Kara disappeared— All Sam knew was that one second Kara was there, the next she wasn’t, and now Lena was frantically texting her. _You know_ was a rather accurate way of describing Lena’s feelings, though.

“I’m fine,” Lena told her with accidental bite, but immediately gave her an apologetic look. She noticed Ruby looking at them with confusion written all over her face, even more so than Sam, and Lena felt momentarily guilty. 

“Aunt Lena,” Ruby asked, “Where’d your friend go?” There was genuine care in her tone and the small sensible part of Lena’s mind thought briefly about how Ruby was genuinely such a nice kid. 

“Home,” Lena replied instantly despite not really having any true idea, “She went home, that’s all.” Kara could be at her apartment. Or, for all Lena knew, she could be at the DEO letting everybody know Lena Luthor found out her secret. She could be anywhere, doing anything, and Lena had no idea what to do.

Finally, after a moment, Lena came to the conclusion Kara was not going to respond. Which was fine, it was perfectly within her rights to not respond, but _ouch_. 

Lena tugged Sam closer to her so she could talk quietly into her ear. “I sort of told Kara,” She said quickly in her hushed tone, “that I know. About her. Supergirl.” Immediately, Sam’s eyes went wide and her lips parted in a silent _oh._

“And she just left?” Sam asked just as quietly. The expression on her face was enough to confirm Lena’s suspicions that this was _not_ a good situation.

“Apparently!” Lena confirmed with some hint of exasperation in her tone. With some force, she shoved her anxieties down as deep as she could— She was in public, she couldn’t be getting so frazzled. In a much calmer tone, Lena told Sam, “I don’t know why she left. It could have been an emergency, for all I know.” 

It wasn’t like Kara hadn’t been called out on Supergirl duty while they were together before— It all could have just been really awful timing, Lena tried to reason with herself. Really, really awful timing.

Gently, Sam offered again, “Lena, really, we can all go home if you need to deal with this—“

“No,” Lena said immediately and then she made her voice softer and added, “No. Ruby’s enjoying herself, and I have to stay for at least a little while longer if I don’t want people to _talk_.” God, she hoped Kara would answer her soon. “Let’s just enjoy ourselves, okay? Don’t worry about it.” Even though Lena herself was excruciatingly worried about it.

“Lena...”

“Really, it’s fine,” Lena assured, and turned back to Ruby who still looked confused. She put on a big smile and decided to focus on Ruby and Sam for the moment. Kara would answer. She would.

—

Kara’s phone currently felt like the scariest thing on the entire planet. The little device sat on the table in front of Kara and Kara stared at it in equal determination and nervousness. All she had to do was send Lena a text. Just one text. Or just a phone call. _Something_. 

Her mind was racing, though, with _what if’s_ and paranoia. Lena was good at hiding her feelings, what if she really was angry and the texts she had sent were just a front? What if Lena thought the worst of her? Kara’s fingers twitched as she reached for her phone and she drew back as if she had been burned.

The plan was to invite Lena over—or invite herself over to Lena’s, either way—so that she could properly talk to Lena about the situation. About her identity. She was planning everything in her head, every minuscule detail from should she dress as Kara or Supergirl, should she wear her glasses, what should she say— everything. This felt like a precarious situation, like she was operating on a patient and had to get _every_ detail correctly or else disaster would strike.

Finally, after several long minutes, Kara forced herself to grab the phone. She did it quickly enough she heard the device give a worrying cracking noise under her vice grip. Nevertheless, she persisted, and unlocked it. She had to do it, she had to. She tapped on Lena’s name as she mentally prepared herself to call and—

The phone very nearly flew from her hands as she jumped, startled, by the ringtone blasting. She fumbled with it, trying to secure her grip again, and when she did, she saw the name. It was Alex, and Kara was both relieved and upset it wasn’t Lena. Gathering herself together, she answered.

“Alex, hi.”

 _”Kara, your comms are off.”_ Alex scolded her and she murmured a tiny apology before Alex went on, _”Anyway, we need you at the DEO. We’ve got a criminal to handle— metahuman, I think.”_

Kara forced back a sigh. “I’ll be right there,” She said despite her wanting to talk to Lena, “See you soon.” With that said, she hung up before Alex could say a goodbye in return. She set her phone down and grimaced to herself. Unfortunately, Lena had to wait, and now she was already etching yet another apology into her prepared speech for Lena. Maybe she should also work asking J’onn to cover for her Supergirl duty into her plan after this crisis was averted.

She wanted to be able to talk to Lena.

—

As it turned out, the villain Supergirl and the DEO had to handle was a metahuman named Psi. Or, Gayle Marsh. She was behind several mysterious bank robberies and, they discovered, she was a psychic who used a person’s fears against them.

Kara quickly decided Psi was one of her least favorite villains.

Psi had gotten away and it was Supergirl’s fault, more or less. All Kara knew was one second she was facing Gayle Marsh and the next second she was _horrified_ beyond recognition and Psi walked right past her. Alex found Kara minutes later, but Psi was gone.

Later, Winn had tracked down Psi again and Supergirl found her in a parking garage. She thought she was prepared, and yet, the same _damn_ thing happened _again_.

When Psi had gotten into her head, it felt like the worst thing Kara had experienced and every little fear she had all got tangled into one and she could feel _all_ of it at the forefront of her mind. It felt like she was watching Krypton die and she was losing everything all over again, while all her _current_ fears were eating at her and making it even _worse_.

Even now, after Psi was gone and Winn was still searching for her, it felt like Psi was right behind her. It felt like Kara’s mind wouldn’t stay quiet.

L-Corp seemed more threatening than it had even on Kara’s first day. The building’s shadow that cast on her felt darker and colder than usual, there weren’t many people currently bustling about the streets around it, and Kara felt small and weak in comparison to it. Admittedly, she didn’t want to face it yet. 

She didn’t want to face _Lena_ yet. She wasn’t ready, she didn’t want her anxieties to be true, she couldn’t risk it.

With much hesitancy, Kara opened the door and went inside. Immediately a foreign, unwelcome feeling started growing throughout her body. She gave a nervous wave to the security man in the lobby, who smiled and waved back. Even the bright smile couldn’t do much to calm her nerves right then, so she just trudged on to the elevator. Kara hit the button and when it opened she stepped inside. She then pressed the button for the top floor, where Lena’s office was.

Where Lena would undeniably be. 

As the silver doors slid shut and the elevator started moving upwards, Kara’s stomach felt like it had dropped through the floor. 

For whatever reason, breathing suddenly felt difficult— it felt like her breath was becoming increasingly labored with every inch the elevator went up. Her hand covered her chest, over her heart, when her heart picked up a scarily quick rhythm she wasn’t used to, and suddenly her whole body just felt _shaky_.

Kara stumbled backwards into the wall of the elevator, hand grasping for the metal handle along it as she looked for support. It felt like she was dying and in the back of her mind where the last sliver of her sanity currently remained she wondered if she was.

As the walls felt like they were closing in and her heart felt like it was going to burst, Kara knew she had to get out. She didn’t know why, or what this was, but she had to _get out_. After what felt like too long the elevator doors opened, and Kara forced her trembling legs to work long enough to run out of it and immediately go for her office.

The glimpse of Lena’s office on the way made the wretched feeling _worse_.

She forced the window in her office open and in a moment she was flying, up and up and up until she felt like could stop. And only then, when she was above the clouds, did her heart start to calm and her breathing slowly tried to go back to normal. Her gaze stared at the city below as her mind raced and she clenched and unclenched her fists in the hopes of stopping her shakiness.

Winn’s voice in her comms snapped her out of her haze.

She swallowed shakily, her throat feeling terribly dry. Supergirl had work to do.

—

Psi had gotten to her again.

Supergirl had laid on broken concrete, stunned, and that wrenching feeling had come back, again. Supergirl felt like nails were running through her veins when the thoughts started forcing their way into her brain. She had felt guilty and angry and lost and _scared_ all at once and her stomach felt like somebody was twisting a knife into it with each thought she had.

She could _see_ Krypton. She could see Krypton exploding and the blast knocking her into absolute Hell. She felt like she was right there again, watching herself lose everything. 

She lost her planet. Her home.

Supergirl has felt the sadness hit her forcefully. Her breath was unsteady, difficult, and her eyes stung with tears that threatened to fall.

She lost her family and her friends. And then to make everything worse, she lost her entire life for _years_ because she got knocked into the Phantom Zone of all places.

And Lena had already been at the forefront of her mind before then.

It was then the frustration hit her because she was scared she was going to lose _Lena_ as if she hadn’t lost enough before. She was already terrified of what was really going through Lena’s mind, but being reminded so _excruciatingly_ reminded of Krypton, now it felt like she was going to _lose_ her. Because, what if Lena thought she was trying to betray her, spy on her, anything, what if Lena wasn’t the same around her, what if she was going to be just Lena’s assistant and not her friend, or even worse, not even _that_ , and Lena looked at her the way she looked at everyone else, or—

Alex had shown up at that point, and Supergirl accidentally revealed to her that Lena found out her identity as she was brokenly talking out loud about her fears.

She kept seeing Krypton, and she had been so scared about Lena, and it _meant_ she was going to lose Lena, too. She was so sure of that in her fear, so positive she was about to lose Lena, when Alex managed to get through to her.

“Kara, _no_ ,” Alex’s voice had been firm and Supergirl found herself listening, “Look... Okay, Krypton, you couldn’t do anything about that, okay? You can’t change what happened to it. But, Lena, you have control over that. You haven’t lost her, she’s your friend, right? All you have to do is beat Psi and you can go fix whatever happened between you two. You can fix it.”

Alex had sounded so sure of it that Supergirl ended up, a few moments later, forcing herself to swallow the intruding thoughts. Alex told her to _go get her_ and Supergirl had taken a final deep breath before flying to Psi, her fear being replaced with anger.

Concrete cracked and broke violently, dust flying, as Supergirl hit the ground with force. Her fists clenched at her sides as she willed her mind to ignore the unwelcome, creeping thoughts that threatened her. Instead, she forced her confidence through, her features hardening and back straightening. _This_ was going to be _her_ win. _Not_ Psi’s.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Supergirl called out, her voice firm. 

Psi, shut the trunk of her car with a slam, her blonde hair fluttering just slightly in the wind. She turned around, the arrogance evident in her face, in her faint smirk. Her head tilted to the side slightly as she hummed a small, “Hmm.” Slowly, she took a few steps forward, and she thought out loud, “What did you see? I wonder. What brought the Girl of Steel to her knees?”

To punctuate her words, Psi used her power, and that horrible, freakish feeling began to creep up Supergirl’s spine, her fears flashing through her mind painfully. But it only lasted a moment— Supergirl flinched, but didn’t lose her footing, and she forced the dread away. 

Supergirl didn’t answer.

She used her powers again, and this time, Supergirl was prepared. Only slightly did she react to the mind-probing, but she walked forward regardless, forcing any and all fear she felt away and having it be replaced with _strength_ and _anger_. Psi had all but tortured her and Supergirl was done letting her.

“Fear cripples,” Psi told her, walking forward herself, “Annihilates spirits. It is the only weapon that matters.” Again, but Supergirl didn’t flinch in the slightest, this time. “Fear made me stronger than you.” Again, and this time Supergirl’s lack of reaction caused a reaction in Psi. Her voice held, for the first time, slight fear herself, and she kept going, “No one is safe from it.”

Supergirl stopped a foot away from Psi, and Psi looked at her in an unbelieving way.

The cocky smile Supergirl had grown to dislike finally fell. Psi asked in a near whisper, “Why aren’t you scared anymore?” 

Leaning slightly closer, Supergirl glared at Psi. Voice steady and cold, Supergirl told her, “Mind over matter.” And, finally able to give Psi exactly what she deserved, Supergirl head-butted Psi forcefully and she dropped like dead weight to the concrete. And if Supergirl were to be honest, it felt _damn_ good to do.

“Alex,” The superhero said into her comms, her gaze locked on Psi’s unconscious body. Gayle Marsh was definitely one of her top ten least favorite villains. “She’s all yours.” And only a couple of moments later, Alex and DEO agents were flooding the area.

Alex immediately hurried to Supergirl, and only then did Supergirl look away from Psi. Alex set her hand on Supergirl’s shoulder, a gesture that meant she wanted to hug her but couldn’t because of the whole _Superhero secret identity_ thing, and Kara truly appreciated the gesture.

“You did it, Kara,” She said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. She squeezed Supergirl’s shoulder gently and offered a soft smile. 

Supergirl let her eyes shut as she took a shaky breath. She set her hand over Alex’s firmly, squeezing it as she nodded and opened her eyes again. She did it. She was okay.

“I’m gonna, um...” Supergirl glanced around at the DEO agents doing their job and the police lining the area in police tape. She might have pulled herself together enough to beat Psi, and she felt _good_ about it, but she still felt drained. “Are you all good here?”

Understanding, Alex nodded. “Go home,” She told her and Supergirl nearly melted at the relief she could finally relax some, “I’ll come over when I’m done getting Psi into lockup.” There was an undertone to her words that Supergirl knew meant _we’re gonna talk_ , though Alex didn’t verbally say it. Supergirl wasn’t sure if she really wanted to talk about it, but she knew she had to.

Forcing a smile, Kara told her honestly, “Thanks, Alex.” And like it was the best thing in the world, Supergirl took off and flew towards her apartment hurriedly. She wanted to crash on her couch and forget _everything_.

—

And that’s exactly what she did. While flying, Kara texted Lena to say she couldn’t come into work, because she truly could not handle that right then. Kara barely took the time to change out of her Supergirl uniform before she all but threw herself on her couch and willed her muscles to relax. Her eyes slid shut as she lay her head back and she listened to the faint hum of the AC and gentle chirping of birds outside. 

Her anxieties and fears were still in the back of her mind, but it was the most relaxed she had felt since Psi showed up in the city. It was more welcome than when Psi made those fears the absolute forefront of her thoughts to the point it didn’t feel like a _fear_ but instead a _reality_.

It was a while before Alex came walking into her apartment—an hour or two, at least—and immediately the smell of pizza hit Kara’s nose. She practically melted at it and the sight of two pizza boxes in Alex’s arms and she audibly groaned happily. 

“Alex, have I ever told you you’re the best sister ever?” Kara asked as Alex set the boxes down on Kara’s coffee table and sat down next to her. Kara instantly went for the first box, opening it and happily grabbing a slice of pepperoni. She took a bite and through a mouthful she said, “Because you are literally the best sister ever.”

“You don’t tell me enough. Keep going,” Alex answered the question teasingly and Kara responded by rolling her eyes. Alex got her own slice of pizza before she leaned back into the couch and drew her legs up on the cushions. She eyed Kara in a way that Kara had learned meant _talk, now._

Kara swallowed that first bite of delicious pizza before she sighed. She got comfortable, too, because this conversation definitely called for being comfortable. She resisted immediately diving for another bite of pizza and instead started with, “So, um... Psi.”

“First off,” Alex stopped her with a raised hand and Kara felt a heart attack coming on, but it faded just as quickly as Alex asked, “Are you okay?” That was better than being yelled at or something similar, Kara figured.

“I’m okay,” She confirmed and at Alex’s skeptical look she added, “I will be. I’m a little... tired, I guess, but I’m gonna be okay. I promise.” It could have been worse. It wasn’t as if she had been physically hurt, she hadn’t dealt with kryptonite or anything bad like that, after all. All it was was some fear and, if Kara was being honest, a panic attack or two. Scary in the moment, but not permanent in the long run.

That answer seemed to satisfy Alex because she gave a slight nod. She took a small bite of her pizza and a moment later she asked, “So, the Lena thing...”

A wave of shame washed over Kara. Not about Lena, exactly, but about the fact she hadn’t been the one to tell Lena, that Lena had figured it out by herself. “Lena knows I’m Supergirl,” Kara confirmed and braced herself for the storm she was sure Alex was bound to bring.

It didn’t come. Alex only nodded again and looked at Kara for more details.

“I didn’t tell her,” Kara filled Alex in and that detail actually seemed to surprise her sister. Alex must have been sure Kara had caved and told Lena herself. “She... She found out on her own. I don’t know how. I basically found out she knew, and I immediately freaked out and ran, and then Psi showed up and she... I don’t know, she made my freak out way worse, because I guess I ran off because I was scared Lena was going to hate me. Then, Psi made me relive the worst part of my life, and I was also scared about Lena, and she made that fear grow and grow and I was terrified I was going to lose Lena somehow.” 

Alex seemed to be processing all of this, her eyes narrowed and lips pulled tight. Finally, she asked, “Wait, so you haven’t seen Lena since you found out she knows?” 

Ashamed, Kara shook her head and took a bite of pizza for comfort.

“I was going to go to work this morning and, y’know, see her, but...” Kara fidgeted slightly. She didn’t like sharing her feelings very much. It made her feel weak. “I got scared and I panicked. I kinda felt, like... If I didn’t talk to her, if I was gonna lose her, it wasn’t real yet if I didn’t see her.”

Empathy crossed Alex’s face and her free hand found Kara’s. Kara gave it an appreciative squeeze.

“And, you’re _sure_ she knows?” Alex asked carefully.

“I mean, she took off my glasses and said ‘I knew it’, so yeah, I’m pretty sure,” Kara confirmed with a teensy bit of hysteria in her tone. Because oh, Rao, Lena really did find out. 

Alex took a bite of her pizza as she processed that. “Yep, sounds like she knows,” She said with a huff to no one in particular. She went on to suggest, “We could... We could get J’onn to shapeshift, so Lena could see you and Supergirl in the same room, it would throw her off.”

With no hesitation, Kara shook her head. “No,” She said firmly, “That’s out of the question. I don’t want to do that to Lena. She doesn’t deserve that.” The last thing Kara wanted to do now was dupe Lena. She only wanted to apologize for everything— for her secret, for running away, for ignoring her. Kara felt a stab of guilt. She had been a really bad friend.

Alex looked like a part of her wished to argue, but instead of arguing she said, “Okay. She’s your friend, you don’t want to hurt her. I get that.” 

Kara breathed a sigh of relief at her sister’s acceptance. 

”J’onn would have a fit if he had to shapeshift as you again, so it’s probably for the best,” Alex joked in an attempt to lighten the air a bit, and Kara genuinely laughed. J’onn truly would be irritated if they asked it of him. Sometimes she thought his powers were more of a nuisance and a curse to him than anything else.

After a few moments of heavy silence, Alex ventured, “Why are you scared you’re going to lose her?”

“I...” Kara knew she was feeling irrational things, but she was still worried, “I don’t know. I mean, she knows I’m Supergirl. She knows her assistant has a secret identity and is, like, the enemy of her entire family, and she’s had so many people betray her before. What if she thinks I was trying to hurt her?”

“Avoiding her isn’t going to help her think otherwise,” Alex countered gently.

She was right, Kara knew she was. “I know... Psi just got so far into my head with stuff I didn’t wanna remember, and it made everything else I felt worse and— Rao, I couldn’t see Lena.” Kara found herself hoping to _anything_ or _anyone_ that Lena would forgive her, and preferably not believe Kara meant to hurt her at all. Psi was probably the supervillain with the most terrible timing Kara had dealt with in a while.

Alex nodded slowly in understanding. She gave Kara a sympathetic glance and clicked her tongue like she was thinking.

“I guess I’m gonna have to get you another NDA for Lena,” Alex muttered like she was more so taking a note to herself than actually telling Kara. Kara nearly groaned at the though of more contracts— She hadn’t given a single thought to NDAs after finding out Lena knew.

“Alex, do me a favor?” Kara asked, then, and her sister gave her a curious look. Kara put on her best puppy eyes and pleaded, “Can you hold off the contracts until after I’ve gotten a chance to talk through everything with Lena? I haven’t seen her since, y’know, and I don’t think showing up with a NDA is the best way to apologize.”

Thankfully, Alex took a deep breath and nodded. “Sure, Kara. No problem. It can wait until after you talk—But no later,” She bargained.

“Thank you,” Kara breathed a sigh of relief. That was one less thing to worry about, at least.

A thoughtful look crossed Alex’s face and she watched Kara carefully. She looked like a plan was formulating in her head and Kara felt rightfully confused and concerned. That look from Alex was either really great or really bad.

“...What?” Kara asked.

“Are you okay here by yourself for a little while?” Alex asked immediately as she sat up straighter.

Despite her confusion, Kara made herself nod. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Then, in a joking tone, she waved to the boxes of pizza, “I have food to keep me company. That’s the best company a girl can have, I think.”

Alex rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Come here,” She said, opening her arms, and Kara was quick to fall into a hug with her sister. Admittedly, a hug felt incredibly nice after the day she had, and she nearly melted at it. Alex sighed into her shoulder and told her, “I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Where are you going?” Kara asked because honestly, she was rather surprised by Alex’s sudden determination to leave. 

“You’ll see,” Alex said cryptically and Kara felt the curiously grow like a virus in her. The two sisters pulled away from each other and Alex stood from the couch, “See ya, Kara.” Kara gave a tiny wave as Alex retreated to Kara’s front door and in a moment she was gone.

Kara x-ray visioned through the wall to watch her sister leave for a few seconds, her curiosity and interest piqued. Finally, she just sighed to the empty room and grabbed another slice of pizza as she fell back onto her couch.

—

Before Lena could pour yet another glass of her scotch, Sam interjected and grabbed the bottle from her. “That’s not going to help you, honey,” Sam told her carefully and walked the bottle to the counter near Lena’s desk, where it was out of reach from her.

Lena very much disagreed but let Sam come back with the water pitcher she kept in her office, rather than the scotch. Briefly she wished Sam had less of a motherly instinct and would just let her drink until she couldn’t think anymore.

“I should probably expect a resignation letter soon,” Lena said as Sam poured her a glass of water, “I mean, why else would she call in sick right after finding out that I know her secret? I knew this would happen. Why _would_ she be okay with a Luthor knowing her secret?” 

Walking the water pitcher back over to the counter, Sam frowned over her shoulder at Lena. “I’m sure there’s a reason she called in sick,” She tried, but Lena scoffed and deterred her efforts.

“She’s an alien who can’t get sick, so there’s that,” Lena reminded Sam, and then added sourly, “the reason is most likely that she’s trying to figure out how to handle the crazy Luthor knowing her identity. Look, Sam, first she disappears the second she finds out I know. Then, she ignores my texts. Now, she does text, but only to say she can’t come to work, which she has never done before.”

Sam came back to join Lena at her desk. She was silent for a second, pondering her response, but finally she just sighed. “It looks bad,” She admitted and Lena nodded frantically, but Sam kept going, “but, look, she’s probably as worried as you are. That’s probably all that’s going on. Okay, so you basically revealed that you know her identity, and then you got interrupted by that security guy and then us, right?”

Lena nodded along as she drank her water and wished it was the alcohol Sam had confiscated.

“Sorry, by the way,” Sam said quickly, before she got back to her point, “But, exactly. This big thing was revealed. She couldn’t talk to you about it, so she panicked, and she ran away.”

“It’s been days,” Lena argued with, to her embarrassment, her voice cracking slightly. “Days, Sam. I’ve texted her. I’ve reached out. She could’ve talked to me about it.”

“She probably wants to talk to you in person,” Sam tried and before Lena could point out that Kara hadn’t come to work, Sam said, “You know what? I bet...” To Lena’s confusion, she reached across Lena’s desk to grab the remote laying there. Sam pointed it at the TV screen in Lena’s office and turned it on. She flipped through a few channels, before she landed on one and unmuted it. “There!”

Lena looked up at the monitor to see the news and the news lady talking.

_”—National City faces yet another super villain this week. The culprit behind the recent bank robberies has been confirmed to be Gayle Marsh, going by alias Psi. Supergirl failed to stop Psi yesterday, and Psi continues to terrorize the city—“_

“Look, see?” Sam nudged Lena’s shoulder and pointed at the screen, “She’s probably just handling that. That would be a reason to call off all day, right?” She clicked the TV off and set the remote down. “She’s not avoiding you, Lena.”

Some sense of relief flooded over Lena. Of course. Supergirl duty made sense, especially with an apparent super villain wreaking havoc across the city. “...Maybe she’s not,” Lena said quietly, hopefully, though doubt still ate at her. Even if this _Psi_ had been the reason Kara had called in sick, it didn’t explain why Kara hadn’t responded to a single text. She knew well enough that this Psi lady hadn’t been around the night of the gala.

“She’s not,” Sam assured Lena, setting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Just give it some more time, okay? And don’t drink yourself to death, for everyone’s sake.” 

Lena allowed her eyes to shut and she took in a deep, slow breath. “Okay,” She accepted after a moment, and then said more confidently, “Yes. You’re right. She just needs time.” 

Sam smiled softly. “Exactly,” She agreed in relief.

Lena’s eyes shot open as the door to her office suddenly flung open. Sam’s hand fell from her shoulder and she stood straight, and Lena sat straighter in her seat. Who in the _hell_ was barging into her office? She felt annoyed, but then she saw the culprit and her eyes went wider with her shock.

“Agent Danvers?” She asked, surprise clear in her voice, as she saw Kara’s sister stride into the office like she owned the place. It was definitely Alex, with her black DEO uniform on and her gun resting very noticeably on her hip. She was definitely the last person on the planet Lena expected to see that day— but then again, maybe she should have expected it after finding out her sister’s identity.

“Lena Luthor,” Alex greeted, and Lena noticed she seemed much less threatening than the first and last time they met. She didn’t have that fiery hatred in her eyes and her posture was much more relaxed (not _relaxed_ , but still an improvement). Not to mention, it was just her this time, rather than her and a clique of heavily armed men who would likely pay to shoot Lena Luthor.

Alex’s gaze moved from Lena to Sam. The agent simply blinked for a second, looking Sam up and down, before she asked steadily, “And, who are you?”

Lena found herself answering in place of Sam, figuring that this was _her_ office and _she_ would handle Alex. “This is my friend, Samantha Arias.” 

Sam tilted her head slightly to the side, clearly as confused about this intrusion as Lena was.

“And, Sam, this is Agent Danvers,” Lena introduced, trying to keep the sourness in her tone to a minimum. She didn’t mean to feel irritated, but Alex had tried to arrest her before, after all. “Kara’s sister.” 

“Alex. Just Alex,” She said, though her gaze was glued only to Sam as she said it. Which, lead Lena to believe that she was still not entirely out of the dog house with Kara’s sister. Finally, Alex turned her attention back to Lena and she said, “I have something to ask.”

Eyebrow quirked up, Lena interjected with her own question, “How did you get in, exactly?”

To Lena’s surprise, Alex actually smiled. Though it was just a tilt of the corners of her lips and it looked sarcastic, it was still a smile. “You’d be surprised how many people let you wherever you want if you have an FBI badge.” 

Lena made a mental note to talk to the head of her security team later. “Wonderful,” She said sarcastically and clasped her hands together as she asked, “Are you here to arrest me again, Agent?”

“Not this time,” Alex assured her with a hint in her voice that suggested she was joking around, and Lena actually found herself somewhat amused. “Like I said, I just have a question.” 

“Shouldn’t you and the...” Lena’s gaze darted to Sam as she caught herself from saying DEO, “Shouldn’t you and Supergirl be handling Psi?” Sam may be her best friend, but Lena wasn’t quite stupid enough to go against an NDA from a government organization who hated her enough already.

Taken by surprise, Alex was quiet for a split second. But it was only that, a split second, before she shook her head. “We brought her into custody this morning,” She told Lena with her eyebrows knit together, “How behind is the news you’re watching?”

Lena and Sam glanced at each other. Neither said anything, but Lena knew Sam was well aware of what she was thinking. If Psi had been taken into custody, where the Hell was Kara? 

After a moment of consideration, Lena leaned back in her chair. She waved her hand and said, “Go on with what you came here for.” Admittedly, she was rather intrigued to hear what brought Agent Alex Danvers all the way to her office. Especially after Alex had proven she was not a fan of Lena.

Alex pursed her lips for a second. “Look,” She began with absolutely no emotion in her voice whatsoever, which meant Lena had no idea where she was going with anything. “Kara’s been trying to ask you this for, like, a couple weeks. But, she gets really nervous and then she tells me and our friends that she won’t because ‘you’re her boss’ or whatever. So, I’m gonna do her a favor and ask for her.”

The mention of Kara made Lena feel like her heart stopped. And Kara apparently talked to her sister and her friends about Lena? Lena gave Alex a look that meant to continue. 

“So, our friends and us go to this bar every week. All of us are going tomorrow and,” Alex gave an attempt at a smile, “it would mean a lot to Kara if you came. And she likes surprises, and she has no idea I’m here right now, so...” 

“...Are you sure Kara would want me to come?” Lena asked and almost felt embarrassed at the nervousness in her voice. She prayed to whoever would listen that Alex didn’t notice the anxiety. 

“She’s been trying to ask you to hang out with all of us and she’s been really down about not asking you, so, yeah.” Alex shook her head and smiled—really, truly smiled—to herself at the thought of her sister. Maybe Alex wasn’t so terrible, after all, Lena thought at that moment. She was a good sister, even if she hated Lena. “And, since it means so much to her, I’ll try to be less... You know. So, will you come?”

For the first time in days, Lena felt hopeful. With the surge of optimism flaring through her, she smiled despite herself and nodded happily. “Yes, I’d love to.” 

Alex looked almost relieved. “Cool,” She replied and walked forward to Lena’s desk. She dug in her pocket for a moment before she pulled out a small strip of paper. She handed it to Lena. “This is the address.”

“Thank you,” Lena told her genuinely. Yeah, maybe Alex wasn’t so bad. 

Then, Alex’s attention turned to Sam, who had been watching this whole exchange with a smile. Alex chewed on her bottom lip for a second, simply looking at Sam. Finally speaking, she said, “And, uh, you should come, too... If you want.”

“Oh,” Sam had a shocked look on her face. She cast a glance towards Lena, briefly, before she looked back at Alex and smiled while waving her hand, “I couldn’t, um... I don’t want to intrude.”

But the scarier Danvers sibling seemed to be incredibly stubborn in this endeavor and she insisted, “You should come.” 

Lena watched this entire exchange with a very confused expression. After a second, Lena sighed in a joking manner and looked at Sam. “I don’t think she’s going to take no for an answer. You’d be surprised at how stubborn she is.” Especially when it came to trying to get Lena arrested, though Lena kept that part to herself. 

So, Sam laughed and smiled towards the floor. She held her hands up in defeat and said, “Okay! Okay. I’ll come.”

Alex took in a sharp breath and stepped back from Lena’s desk. “We’ll all... See both of you later, then,” She acknowledged Lena and Sam with a nod, “Bye.” 

“Have a good day,” Lena offered, and Sam lifted her hand in a wave, while Alex retreated back to the double doors of Lena’s office and left. Lena looked to Sam the second the doors slammed shut and she said, “I... I don’t know how to feel about anything now.”

“Me neither,” Sam agreed, eyes glued to the shut doors. After a second she shook her head, getting her mind out of the clouds, and looked at Lena in a much more focused way. “I mean— this is good. See? Kara isn’t mad at you.”

Lena had her doubts. Maybe even more so, now. But, still, she forced a simple smile to Sam. “Sure,” She agreed, swallowing down the arguments trying to claw their way up her throat, “I suppose you’re right.” 

Relief flashed across Sam’s face and she smiled softly. She set her hand on Lena’s upperback and told her, “There you go. You and Kara are gonna be okay, Lena.”

Sighing through her nose, Lena forced herself to nod. “I hope so,” She said in agreement. She knew Kara— Kara was much too kind to ever purposely try to upset Lena, much too kind to just completely leave without talking to Lena about it. Lena just had to give her time. She repeated the attempted reassurances in her head like the repetition would force her to believe it.

Sam’s smile grew more, seemingly convinced enough by Lena’s forfeit of the argument. “It’s all okay,” She assured one more time and rubbed Lena’s back gently for a moment, “Just do some work to get your mind off her and before you know it we’ll be with her and her friends, and you’ll see that everything’s perfect.” 

Lena leaned into Sam’s touch slightly, appreciating the comfort. “Yeah,” She agreed, “Sure. I’ll see her tomorrow. We’ll talk.” Truly, her nerves were feeling _slightly_ less fried and she had no idea what she would ever do without Sam. In fact, she really had _no_ clue how she managed without Sam for as long as she did.

“I’ll see you later, okay?” Sam told her, stepping back as she grabbed her purse from Lena’s desktop. She slid the strap on her shoulder and adjusted it before looking back to Lena.

Lena nodded in an assuring manner and waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about me,” She told her and chose to ignore Sam’s obvious look of _seriously?_. “I’m okay. I’ll call you when I’m done working.”

Despite being obviously aware of Lena’s somewhat lie, Sam waved her hand slightly as she headed for the door. “Okay! Don’t stress out too much, please!” 

“Don’t worry!” Lena repeated a bit loudly just as the door clicked shut behind Sam. Strangely, the second Sam was gone, Lena felt weirdly alone.

It wasn’t as if she wasn’t used to working alone in her office, of course not. But Sam was gone, and she knew Kara wasn’t just outside those doors, and something about it made her feel uncomfortably lonely. Her stomach twisted faintly, barely noticeable, in such a strange way that she couldn’t quite place how she felt.

She had sort of become used to having Kara around. Even when Kara wasn’t right in the room with her, she was more often than not directly outside the double doors and just a call away. The knowledge that Kara _could_ be there in just one second was comforting in itself.

The knowledge that Kara _wasn’t_ around proved to be the exact opposite. Rather than comforting it was almost unnerving. 

Lena quickly shook the thoughts from her head and tried her very best to shove the foreign feelings into a tiny box in the deepest depths of her mind she could find. She was being ridiculous, she told herself as she took a long drink of her water, hoping the cold drink would knock some sense into her. Kara had every right to call in sick, there was no reason to be acting so _dependent_ and _needy_ for her assistant. After all, that’s all Kara was when it came down to it. Her assistant. A type of person that Lena had many of in the past and had gone through one after another. 

But then those _feelings_ started to creep out of the box and she knew that wasn’t true at all. Kara wasn’t like anybody else, Kara couldn’t be shoved into some simplistic category of any sort. She was Kara. Nobody was like Kara Danvers.

And she certainly couldn’t feel the way she did around anybody other than Kara.

Lena’s knuckles turned deathly white as she clutched her glass like it was the liferaft keeping her afloat in all these goddamn _messy_ feelings. It was positively ludicrous, the way Kara made her feel— It didn’t make sense. She couldn’t figure out _why_ she missed her that much, why her heart felt so full around her, why it felt a bit empty without her here. She couldn’t explain the way her smile was so relentless and unfiltered around Kara, how she felt like she could smile and laugh freely and Kara would still see her as strong and powerful, even if she let her walls down.

Lena didn’t really understand why she had an overwhelming knowledge that she _couldn’t_ let herself lose Kara. She just _couldn’t_. It wasn’t an option, it couldn’t be an option, because if it was, she wasn’t sure what she would do.

Hopelessly, she tried to convince herself. In truth, the fact she hadn’t seen or talked to Kara didn’t confirm anything, good or bad. She had zero confirmation on what Kara was feeling, so that meant there was a chance Kara wasn’t upset or angry. Slim as it felt, there was a chance she could be Kara’s friend. 

With that thought, Lena threw herself into her work one boring email at a time. Anything to distract her from Kara. And every time a thought of Kara peeked through her walled up mind, she forced it away and went on typing a bit more quickly. But that creeping thought _kept_ coming, that feeling that she knew _exactly_ what she felt for Kara.

It was nearly the end of her workday by the time she realized what Kara made her feel. And immediately, Lena’s stress she had been trying to mask hit her like a damn train.

—

“Lena?” 

Lena jumped slightly but immediately forced herself to relax. She drummed her fingertips on the side of her wine glass almost silently and she turned her head to look at the doorway. “Sam, hi,” She greeted with a chilly smile.

There was the quiet sound of Sam’s socks shuffling against the floor and a second later Sam was sitting next to Lena at the kitchen table. “What are you doing up?” She questioned, her voice hushed, and her eyebrows knitted together in worry.

Unintentionally, Lena’s eyes shifted to stare at the balcony door. “I couldn’t sleep,” She lied, though she assured herself it wasn’t _entirely_ a lie. Lena doubted she would have been able to sleep even if she had tried her damnedest. She turned Sam’s question around, “Why are you up?”

Sam’s gaze followed Lena’s. “I couldn’t sleep,” She said just as Lena did, and smiled softly at Lena’s halfhearted glare. 

Huffing, Lena shrugged. “I know she’s not gonna come,” She told Sam, which actually seemed to surprise her. It was the truth, though. She knew Kara—or Supergirl—wasn’t going to mysteriously show up like she tended to do. The pessimist in her knew better.

”Then... Why are you waiting?” Sam asked carefully, eyeing Lena as Lena took a drink of her wine. Lena shrugged again like it were an eloquent answer.

“I have an issue, Sam,” Lena said, ignoring Sam’s question. She had just hoped that _maybe_ Kara would come to see her, though now she was being reminded of why she wasn’t much a fan of hoping. “About Kara.”

“Aside from the Supergirl thing?” Sam asked and Lena half-heartedly glared at her. She smiled and raised her hands in defeat. “Go on, what’s wrong?”

Lena sucked in a deep breath through her nose. She tilted her hand gently and watched her drink slosh around like it were the most interesting thing in the world as she tried to think of what exactly to say. 

Finally, Lena relented and admitted, “I think I really like her.” Her voice went up a pitch, then, and she went on as she looked at Sam, “I know I shouldn’t, at all. It’s... Unfair to her.”

To Lena’s slight annoyance, Sam rolled her eyes and said, “I’ve been telling you that you‘re into her since, like, the week after she started working for you.”

“Thanks, Sam,” Lena said dryly. It was the truth, though. The more she had mentioned about Kara, the more convinced Sam had been that Lena had certain feelings for the bubbly blondeZ

Sam gave her an apologetically teasing smile. It faded and she asked, “Why do you think you shouldn’t like her, exactly?” A second later, when Lena didn’t answer right away, she asked further, “And how is it unfair to her?”

Like it should be obvious, Lena scoffed. “Well, one, I’m her boss,” She started, holding up her pointer finger. Raising another finger she added with an almost painful sense of guilt, “two, I’m Lena Luthor. My brother dedicated his entire life to murdering her cousin, my Mother isn’t a saint herself in regards to aliens, and both of them would probably happily kill Supergirl if they got the chance. And I just _had_ to get... Feelings, for _Supergirl_.” 

Grimly, Sam nodded slowly. “You think you liking her puts her in even more danger?” She asked to clarify.

Lena gave a short nod before she forced a dry laugh. “God, if Lex knew his little sister fell for a Kryptonian— I don’t want to know what he would do, actually. I really don’t.” If Lex had already been so determined to rid the world of Kryptonians that he went to the extent of trying to give the Earth a red sun, the lengths he would go if he figured out Lena was even _friendly_ with Supergirl seemed scary.

A deep sigh escaped Sam and she gave Lena a sorry look. “Look, Lena. She’s in danger no matter what your family is like, she purposely runs into danger. And she knew perfectly well what your family is like when she started working for L-Corp, and she knew it even better when she decided to be your _friend_. That’s not a problem for her and you know that.” 

Sam had a point, Lena supposed. But at the same time, it didn’t make her feel much better. “Even if,” She countered, “I still shouldn’t have let myself feel like...This...For her.”

“You can’t keep yourself from it,” Sam said and if Lena didn’t know better she would think there was amusement in her tone, “You’re a person, Lena. You have feelings.” A gentle smile played on her lips and she added, “You might like to pretend you’re so unaffected and scary but I know you’re mush on the inside.”

Lena groaned at Sam and shrugged. 

“It’s not bad that you like Kara like that, okay?” Sam said seriously and she seemed honest to God determined to make Lena agree with her. “You like her. That’s it. And, sorry, but I’ve seen how she looks at you all dreamy, so I don’t think she’d be complaining very much...” 

A borderline offended scoff sounded as Lena shoved Sam’s shoulder like the idea of Kara possibly having beyond friendly feelings for her was ridiculous. Lena was still having trouble processing the fact Kara ever was friendly with her to begin with.

But Sam was having none of it. She pressed on intently, “It’s true! You both look like lovesick puppies together.” When Lena just gave her another unbelieving look, she added like it were the big guns, “Ruby literally asked me if you and Kara are together.”

Appalled, Lena gaped at Sam. “You’re kidding,” She said and Sam shook her head. She groaned again, louder, and put her face in her hands. “It’s not really that obvious, is it?” 

“Yeah, obviously, it is,” Sam insisted with a smile, “apparently not to you, but to everyone who’s ever been in the same room with you two, yeah.” 

“Oh, God,” Lena grumbled, the words muffled by her hands. She huffed into her palms as Sam laughed at her. 

Slowly, Sam’s laughter faded away, and she nudged Lena until Lena looked at her. Her expression was soft but serious, a look that said she truly meant whatever it was she wanted to say. “Listen, Lena,” Sam started, voice just as careful and calm as her expression, “I’m serious. You’re not doing anything wrong by _liking_ her, okay? The opposite, actually. After you guys get this whole thing worked out you should... You know, go for it.”

Still, despite Sam’s genuineness, Lena shook her head. “No,” She argued and raised her hand in a way that meant the words were final, “Not happening. For many reasons, Sam.” _Many, many reasons,_ Lena thought to herself bitterly.

Sam gave an audible sigh, but didn’t try to argue. Instead, she stood up and told Lena, “I’m going to make us some tea, okay?” Lena gave a short smile and Sam wandered a few feet away to make the two of them some tea, which sounded relatively nice right then. Lena watched vaguely as Sam started boiling water and then her gaze drifted back to her balcony and the stars outside.

“Sam,” She spoke to get the woman’s attention and she asked curiously, “how about you?”

A confused noise came from Sam as she eyed Lena. “What do you mean?” She asked.

Lena’s gaze drifted back to Sam as she raised an eyebrow. “I _mean_ ,” She said, stressing the word like it should be obvious what she meant, “How about you? Dating and the like.” 

Immediately, Sam’s cheeks flushed and she laughed like the thought was ridiculous as she waved her hand. “Oh,” She said like she was appalled, “No, there’s been none of that. I don’t think that’s an option for me, which is fine, obviously.” 

That wasn’t a response Lena was expecting and she scoffed. “Excuse me? What do you mean it’s not an option for you?” She asked with a disbelieving look at her best friend, “Samantha, look at you.” Sam Arias was, if nothing else, painfully beautiful.

Which seemed to fluster Sam even further, because she focused her attention so strongly on her tea making it was like she thought if she looked at Lena she would trigger a bomb. “No, it’s not like that, I— Wow. No.”

“So, what then?” Lena questioned, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table. Now she was just plain curious.

Sam huffed and finally, after a moment of nothing but Lena’s gaze boring into her back, she relented. “I’m a single mom, Lena, dating is _hard_. You say you have a kid and they either immediately run off and don’t call you, or they get all judgy like, _oh, how’d you run the father off?_ and,” She started pouring her and Lena both a cup, “Ruby is more important, anyway. I’m happy with just me and her.” 

Lena’s mouth fell open in a little _oh_ of realization. She supposed she hadn’t quite thought of anything like that. “That’s awful,” She mused out loud and felt a twinge of guilt at asking Sam about it.

Sam shrugged and rolled her eyes as she joined Lena at the table again. She set one cup in front of Lena and held onto her own. “It’s ridiculous. I went on a date with this lady, and I mentioned Ruby, and she excused herself to the bathroom and _never_ came back. For all I know she probably flung herself out a window to get away from me,” Sam was smiling though, and Lena could tell she thought it was sort of funny, now.

So, Lena smiled and shared her own story, “Lillian paid my first girlfriend to not talk to me. I was in middle school and _devastated_.” The thought of Lillian doing such a thing provoked a laugh from Sam, so much so she even snorted.

“Okay, that definitely sounds like Lillian,” Sam said, chuckling to herself, “Dating is terrible.” 

Lena grinned and raised her teacup slightly. “Here’s to hoping we maybe have a turn of luck in that field?” 

Sam smiled back before clinking her cup lightly against Lena’s. “I’ll cheers to that. I’m gonna get upset if I don’t see you and Kara together soon. Your life is my soap opera now.” 

Lena huffed and sighed in response.

—

When Kara showed up at the bar, all her friends practically cheered as she sat down at their table. She smiled and flushed, waving them all off embarrassingly. “What’s up with you guys?” She asked like she were concerned to hear the answer.

“You’re a badass, Kara!” Winn exclaimed like if were the most helpful answer he could give. Then, he added, “You beat Psi. We’re celebrating.”

Kara raised both of her eyebrows. “I win against a lot of people, like... Every day.” She had come to the bar right after stopping a gas station robbery, for example. She would say she most definitely was the victor of the fight, considering the second her fist collided with the robber’s jaw with only a minuscule piece of her power, he fainted. He was also the one now in the back of a cop car, so she was pretty sure that meant she was the winner.

“Yeah, but Psi was really hard on you,” James explained with an apologetic smile and Kara shook her head quickly.

“It was fine,” She said immediately. Kara didn’t really like people looking at her with pity, it made her feel weak. And Kara Danvers was not weak.

“Either way, good job,” Lucy said beside James with a smile, “I’m gonna use it as an excuse to drink and say it was celebratory.”

Kara laughed at her and then noticed Alex. Alex kept looking at the entrance to the bar, as well as around the room, every second or so. It seemed like she was looking for somebody, and Kara didn’t understand that. Everybody was here: Alex, Kara, Winn, James, Lucy, and J’onn. Nobody else was coming, unless Alex had miraculously made up with Maggie, which she doubted.

“Alex, what’s up?” Kara asked the tenth time Alex looked around searchingly. Alex’s gaze darted to her like she was a deer caught in headlights. The shocked expression sparked a laugh from Kara. “Are you looking for something?” 

Instead of answering, Alex looked at the entrance again. This time, though, her eyes went slightly wide and she smiled to herself. “Hey, Kara,” She said, throwing a pretzel at her sister, who smacked it away midair, “Look who’s here.”

Kara blinked, still gathering herself after being attacked via pretzel by her sister. “Who?” She asked curiously as she and the rest of the table immediately looked towards the entrance. It took only a second, in the dim room, for Kara to see exactly who Alex was talking about, and her jaw nearly hit the table it dropped so comically. 

Lena Luthor, wearing a three-piece suit, was walking into their bar. Sam was at her side and Lena looked worried while Sam looked intrigued, and Kara immediately snapped her head back around to look at Alex.

“Did you—“ Kara asked.

“Mhmm,” Alex nodded, “You’re welcome.”

Kara’s cheeks hurt, a smile so wide grew on her face. She gave Alex a look that Alex knew was meant as a thank you, and she turned and stood up to wave Lena down. 

—

The driver pulled to a stop outside of a building that gave very little indication as to what it was. Lena couldn’t see a sign, or lights outside, or really anything that would make the place stand out. Even further, it hardly looked like an established place. It looked near rundown on the outside.

Her driver got out of the car and walked around to Lena’s side. He pulled open the door and stood still, holding it open for her. 

“Is this the right address?” Lena asked Sam lowly. The cynical part of her (which happened to be most of her) immediately thought that, maybe, Agent Alex Danvers had lead them both to some strange location. Instilled false hope into Lena that Kara would ever actually want to see her tonight. Perhaps Alex was laughing to herself at the moment.

Sam held the little paper Alex had given them and her phone’s Google Maps up to her eyes. She squinted, then looked outside. “It’s the right place,” She confirmed. Then, pushing the paper back into her pocket, she smiled at Lena. “Ready?”

Slowly, Lena took a deep breath. “As I’ll ever be,” She responded, and before she could possibly change her mind and run away from her issues like Kara did, she stepped out of the car. Sam followed her quickly after, and Lena offered a smile to her driver. “Thank you,” She told him, and he gave a nod before he shut the door and went back to the driver’s seat.

Lena watched the car pull away. When it disappeared from her vision, her gaze shifted to Sam, who was waiting for her with a patient smile. “Let’s go,” She said and set her hand on Sam’s elbow, holding on gently as she started walking.

“We’re gonna have fun, Lena,” Sam assured her and Lena gave an appreciative nod.

The closer they got to the building, the clearer it got that they were certainly at a bar. Lena could hear the faint thudding of bass and the gentle hum of muffled voices as they neared the door. Lena pulled open the door and held it for Sam before she followed her inside. It was _certainly_ a bar they had come to. A dive bar, but a bar no less. It was dark and full of people and there was most definitely alcohol, which Lena was very much looking forward to.

But as the door shut behind them, sealing their fate, Lena’s stomach twisted uncomfortably as she realized what kind of bar they had been invited to.

Her gaze had caught sight of _something_ —and, for a moment she thought it was the dim lighting that made her mind play tricks, but it wasn’t. There was a man with scales trailing down his cheeks and neck and the light bounced off his predatorily sharp teeth when he smiled at the bartender. It was then that she noticed he wasn’t the only one. There was a woman next to him— a pretty girl, sure, though the blue of her skin made it very obvious she wasn’t quite _normal_. To the left there was a group of men, each of them with a stark contrast to the rest, who had varieties of horns, scales, and claws. 

Lena swallowed hard as a woman walked by and made eye contact with her, her eyelids closing in from the sides rather than from the top and bottom like a human’s when she blinked. 

For a moment Lena felt duped. Was it some sort of sick joke, Alex inviting _Lena Luthor_ to an _alien bar_? Some sort of irony she found humorous? 

She suddenly found herself glad she knew Kara’s secret because she would have turned around and left in that exact instant if she hadn’t remembered Supergirl mentioning alien bars. 

If she was going to be Kara’s friend, she had to be comfortable in a situation like this.

So, she pressed on with Sam, though she instinctively lowered her gaze to the floor, hoping her face would be hidden in the darkness of the bar. Lena didn’t feel welcome in this place, not after what her brother had done. She wasn’t so sure the aliens here would think she was very welcome, either, and the last thing she needed was to cause a scene and ruin Kara’s night.

Sam seemed to understand exactly what was going through Lena’s head, because she set her hand on Lena’s and gave it a gentle, brief squeeze.

“Lena!” A voice called over all the talking, and a flash of fear shot through Lena that an alien had noticed Lena Luthor and was about to do _something_ — but the fear only lasted a split second as she realized exactly who said her name. 

Kara Danvers was standing up at a circular table with several people sitting at it. A wide smile was on Kara’s face as she started waving her hand, signaling for Sam and Lena to join her. Lena’s heart skipped a beat at the sight, some warm, gentle feeling growing inside her. She had _really_ missed Kara, apparently, and the sight of her mixed with the realization she didn’t sound upset when she said Lena’s name— it felt so unreasonably refreshing to her. 

Almost before her brain could catch up with her legs, Lena started walking towards Kara with Sam in tow. Sam was giggling at her, she could hear it over the sounds of the bar, but she ignored it and ventured on.

The anxiety that had already been spooling in her stomach increased tenfold the nearer she got to Kara. By the time Kara was right in front of her, Lena felt like her heart was going to thud all the way out of her chest, and dear _God_ why couldn’t she control herself around Kara? Her embarrassment only increased as she remembered Supergirl—So, Kara—telling her she listened to her heartbeat.

Everybody at Kara’s table, Sam, _everybody_ completely disappeared from Lena’s mind as Kara pulled her into a hug before Lena had even stopped walking. Kara held her tightly and Lena could feel Kara’s smile pressed against her neck. Lena barely managed to think clearly enough to hug Kara back, wrapping her arms around her like it was her last chance.

All of Lena’s doubt faded away as Kara held her.

Lena’s eyes shut instinctively like losing that sense would let her feel even more of Kara’s warmth and _love_. She tightened her arms around Kara, not too tightly but just enough that she hoped it would somehow convey everything she wanted to say but couldn’t right then.

The rest of the world came back as one of Kara’s friends cleared his throat to get Kara and Lena’s attention and the others all laughed. Lena pulled away from Kara regrettably and embarrassed, and Kara gave her a nervous smile before she playfully whacked the shoulder of the man who had interrupted them.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Kara told Lena with so much genuineness to her tone that Lena believed her. She looked at Sam, then, and waved a hand as she laughed, “You, too. Where’s Ruby at while you guys are here?”

“She’s with Jess,” Sam provided, before backtracking and asking, “You do know Jess, right?”

“Yeah!” Kara confirmed, nodding, and then her eyebrows furrowed and she questioned, “Jess is babysitting Ruby?”

Finally managing to get her brain functioning, Lena answered, “Jess babysat Ruby some back when I first met Sam. They love each other, honestly. Jess was so excited to hear Sam and Ruby were in town.”

For whatever reason, Kara seemed entirely amused by this knowledge. Lena knew Kara didn’t really know what to think of Jess just as much as she knew Jess didn’t really know what to think of Kara. 

“Hey, Kara,” Alex said from where she sat, gaining the attention of all three of them, “You gonna introduce everybody?” She waved to the round table of people and then at Sam and Lena. If Lena didn’t know better she thought she might’ve seen Alex smile tentatively at Sam. 

Snapping her fingers in a silly manner, Kara’s mouth opened in an _O_ shape like she had completely forgotten about everybody at that table. Her expression melted back into a dorky grin and she nodded exuberantly. 

“So!” She began, clapping her hands together loudly, “Everybody, this is Lena Luthor and Sam Arias.”

Winn whooped with his hand raised in the air and Lena couldn’t help but smile at him. As far as people go, Winn wasn’t a terrible guy, and he had helped Lena be proven innocent before, so Lena did like him. Plus, he was smart, and Lena respected intelligence.

“And, Sam and Lena,” Kara said to the two of them. She pointed at each person as she introduced, “This is my sister, Alex. That’s Winn Schott, he’s pretty much an upgraded IT guy.”

Winn grinned widely at both of them and waved.

“This is James Olsen and Lucy Lane,” Kara said, pointing at a bald man with a much too tight button-down shirt (the one who had interrupted Kara and her a moment ago, Lena noticed) and a woman with shorter hair and a mischievous smirk that could compete with Lena’s, “They’ve been dating for _years_. They’re the power couple here, I guess.” 

Lena was nearly surprised for a moment. James Olsen, she recognized that name. He was the photographer who had captured the first picture of Superman and, probably not coincidentally, he was Superman’s known best friend. Which meant he had personally been in the crossfire between Superman and Lex Luthor. Lena had seen James Olsen once before, at Lex’s trial, where he had testified as much. 

If the somewhat forced smile on his face was any indication, he remembered all those things just as well as she did. Lena decided she didn’t want to keep her attention on him.

Lucy Lane, his apparent girlfriend, looked much more welcoming. That mischievous smile was trained on Sam and Lena, though it was friendly however teasing and shady it may seem. Lena thought she might like Lucy a bit more than James already.

“And, finally, this man here,” Kara said as she pointed at a man Lena immediately recognized, “is—“

“Hank Henshaw,” Lena interrupted despite herself. Sitting next to the left of Lucy was the same calm, seemingly friendly man who was in charge of the DEO. “Right?”

He smiled at her, a gesture that proved he was indeed friendly as it was genuinely king. He shook his head and corrected, to her confusion, “My real name is J’onn J’onnz. It’s a long story.” 

Lena had a feeling she understood the fake and real name. DEO, alien bar, secret identities? Something told her this J’onn J’onnz was about as human as Kara was. “My apologies, J’onn,” She offered with her own smile. She honestly liked J’onn, so far at least. He gave her a nod of his head in response.

Kara clapped her hands together loudly again, the sound somehow holding it’s own against the loudness of the bar, as she asked, “Everyone good? All introduced and everything?” At her friends teasing groans of annoyance, she smiled and sat back down in her seat. She practically grabbed Lena to pull her into the seat next to her. As she all but toppled into the seat, Lena vaguely noticed Alex waving to Sam in an offer for Sam to sit next to her. 

“So, Lena,” Lucy said across the table and Lena stiffened, preparing to be asked questions she didn’t want to answer. More so, she prepared to be interrogated on her brother and the Luthor family and what not. She set her jaw and looked at Lucy for her to continue. Instead of asking anything like that, she just said, “Kara never shuts up about you. Ever.”

Instantly, Kara looked insulted and she whispered across the table, “Lucy, that’s not true!”

Lena bit her lip to contain her smile. “Is that so?” She asked Lucy, who nodded and laughed freely. Lena turned her head to look at Kara and she raised an eyebrow.

Kara sat straighter and crossed her arms. “I might have mentioned you a couple times,” She admitted.

“A couple times an hour,” Winn added despite Kara’s glare.

“Good things?” Lena questioned, and was equal mixes of entertained, flattered, and horrified at the responses she got.

“Well, according to Kara, you’re a nerd,” Alex told her.

“And, you have a big sweet tooth but would rather die than admit that,” Winn said with a grin.

“You’re the nicest person she’s ever met, apparently,” James pitched in.

“And, you have the _prettiest_ eyes,” Lucy said with extra emphasis. 

Kara looked beyond alarmed. “I— Guys, you can’t—“ She stuttered uselessly for a minute, staring at all her friends with wide eyes, “You— No— Okay.” Giving up, Kara grabbed a handful of pretzels from the bowl in the middle of all of them and shoved them in her mouth so she would stop talking. When she finally swallowed it all she mumbled, “Those things were said in secrecy.”

Once the group’s laughter at Kara had died down, J’onn asked kindly in reference to Lena and Sam, “How do you two know each other?” 

Sam smiled and Lena very nearly melted at the sight. Sam was truly just a sweetheart. “We’ve been friends for years,” She told everyone, “L-Corp took over the company I was working at and we became friends, then eventually she hired me to be the head of L-Corp North East. I’ve been there until now, we haven’t seen each other in a while.”

“You don’t live in National City?” Alex asked before taking a sip of her beer like she were trying to act like she didn’t really care. 

“Oh, no,” Sam shook her head and Lena thought she saw Alex’s face fall before she added, “My daughter and I are moving here now, though. We’re staying with Lena until we get around to apartment hunting.”

“Sam’s going to be working at L-Corp with me,” Lena added, “And with Kara, too, I suppose.” Kara had been staring at Lena a bit more obviously than it seemed she thought, and at the attention being drawn to her she snapped her gaze away.

“Cool,” Alex said with a nod, and this time Lena was positive she was trying to act unaffected. Lena found it a bit intriguing.

The next time Lena caught Kara very obviously staring at her, and the attention had been taken off of Lena, she leaned in close. Kara’s laughing at Winn’s story ceased as she realized Lena was so close to her and Lena could practically feel the tension. Kara was good at many things, for God’s sake she was a _superhero_ , but acting calm was not one of them. 

“So, Supergirl once mentioned an alcohol from... Daxam, was it?” Lena asked with faux innocence in her voice, “What’s it called?”

“Aldebaran rum,” Kara answered instantly, nervously, like she answered without really thinking. Then she followed up with a shy shrug.

“I recall offering to buy Supergirl a drink,” She whispered just loud enough for Kara to be able to hear her, and she smirked to herself as she saw Kara smile. “So? Are you gonna let me?”

For a moment, Lena was sure Kara was going to stutter herself into oblivion like she tended to (adorably) do. But, to her surprise, Kara turned her head so she could talk directly into Lena’s ear. With all the confidence she always seemed to lack, she bargained, “Sure, as long as you let me steal you away from everyone else for a bit.”

As far as deals go, Lena thought that was more of a win-win situation more than anything. She hummed her agreement, saw Kara bite her lip to contain her smile, and Kara immediately raised her voice to the group to excuse herself and Lena. 

Lena’s heart swelled as Kara grabbed her hand and pulled her from her chair. She smiled contentedly to herself and let Kara hold her hand and pull her through the tables and people in direction of the bar. Either Kara was _very_ good at pretending, or she wasn’t angry at Lena at all, if her hold on Lena’s hand and giggly laugh as she led her were anything to go by.

Kara practically jumped onto a barstool when the two of them reached the bar and she tugged Lena’s hand until Lena sat on the one next to her. The bartender, a woman who at least _looked_ as human as any human Lena had ever seen, was talking to another customer and gave Kara a little smile to signify she would be a minute.

“I’ve drank literally once,” Kara observed, though based on how her squinted gaze was trained at the space behind the bar, Lena wasn’t sure she really meant to say it out loud. 

Apologetically, Lena offered, “I don’t have to get you that drink. I could get you, um...” Her eyes locked on the club soda and she said, “Club soda, or something.” 

For whatever reason, Kara immediately looked at Lena and said, “No, I can do it.” Though, Lena wasn’t entirely sure whether she was trying to convince Lena or herself. “One drink, no biggie,” Kara waved her hand and scoffed a bit over-dramatically like the notion of her being unable to handle one little drink was crazy. Lena could practically hear Kara’s thoughts going _I’m Supergirl. Of course I can handle a dumb drink._

Quirking an eyebrow, Lena smiled and asked, “You sure? You don’t seem very certain.”

“I can do it,” Kara repeated and if Lena didn’t know better she would call the expression Kara had a pout. In any case, she now seemed determined to prove that Supergirl could handle her alcohol. 

Shaking her head in amusement, Lena shrugged at Kara’s determination. “Whatever you say,” She said, and then tentatively she changed the subject, “...Hey, I mean... I missed you at work.” She gripped her hands together under the counter, nervously looking at Kara’s eyes to try and gauge her reaction. 

Kara stuttered, “O-Oh,” She fixed her glasses, lowering her gaze to the floor rather than looking at Lena. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to, um, avoid you— Well, maybe a little bit, but then we had to deal with this— this thing and I got kinda, like, messed up, and...” She sighed at her own rambling and looked at Lena again with a sheepish smile, “I’m so sorry for avoiding you. I’m really glad Alex invited you tonight, honest.”

”Are you okay, at least?” Lena asked instantly, her own feelings about Kara’s ignoring her going to the back of her mind for a moment. “After the... Thing you had to deal with.” Which, since Lena wasn’t exactly stupid, _thing_ meant that Psi supervillain that Supergirl had dealt with. 

“Yeah!” Kara assured, “Now, anyway. It was just... A lot. Stirred some stuff up I really didn’t want to think about, I guess. I’ll tell you about it sometime, not right now though, I don’t really want to think much about it.” Her voice went quieter and she added, “It also kinda shoved some sense into me, about talking to you. I was planning on seeing you tomorrow— Well, you’re here now, so it doesn’t matter.” 

Some courage flowing into her, Lena set her hand on top of Kara’s, hoping it was in some way helpful. She wasn’t very good with words sometimes.

Either way, Kara immediately perked up. She smiled at Lena and told her, “Speaking of, thanks for coming. I know this probably isn’t the usual Lena Luthor hangout spot.” She twisted her hand over so she could hold Lena’s.

Lena barked out a dry laugh. “Far too few rich men in suits to be a normal place I spend my day,” She observed with a roll of her eyes, and then gave a playful smirk. “Definitely the type of place I would’ve hung out at during college, though.” Minus the aliens, she added to herself, though she spared Kara that detail. 

“Oh yeah?” Kara asked, playfully unconvinced, “Lena Luthor hanging around at dive bars? Doesn’t seem right.”

“What can I say? I like drinking. Home sweet hell,” Lena said with a shrug. 

That drew a chuckle and a nod from Kara. “Okay, maybe that does sound right.” She had definitely seen Lena’s near _collection_ of wine and scotch in her office, Lena knew. 

“Kara Danvers hanging around at dive bars, though. Doesn’t seem very right,” Lena countered with a laugh. Kara considered the argument for a moment before she broke into a smile and shrugged her defeat. “You seem more like... _Petting zoo_.”

“Petting zoos are fun!” Kara argued, more or less confirming Lena’s words.

“Right,” Lena laughed more and made a gesture to Kara with her hand, “my point exactly.”

In a performance of offense, Kara dramatically rolled her eyes and scoffed loudly. “Whatever, Lena,” She said with as much annoyance as possible, though her tiny smile gave her away. “I’ll just take you one of these days and prove they’re way fun.” 

“You can try, but it’s not likely,” Lena teased in return and just as Kara opened her mouth to argue, the bartender walked up to them behind the counter. A smile immediately erupted on Kara’s face.

“M’gann!” She exclaimed cheerfully, “Hi!”

 _M’gann_ , Lena noted to herself. M’gann certainly _appeared_ human. She looked normal, there were no spikes or horns or scales or creepy eyelids—just a pretty woman. But, the way her name sounded, and in this specific bar—either she was definitely an alien or Kara had a weird way of saying _Megan_. 

“Hi, Kara,” M’gann responded kindly and in only a second her gaze roamed to Lena, and then to their hands, which is when Lena realized she was still holding Kara’s. A knowing look flashed across her face and she asked Kara, “Who’s your new friend?” 

“This,” Kara said with too much happiness and much, much too loudly, “is Lena Luthor.”

Lena’s heart immediately stopped. Unintentionally, her grip on Kara’s hand tightened to the point she would have been worried it was painful if Kara wasn’t Supergirl. She let go quickly. How in God’s name could Kara sit there and _loudly_ announce the name _Lena Luthor_ in an alien bar like she was _proud_ to be with her? Lena looked around quickly and, to her relief, it didn’t seem like anybody had heard.

M’gann nodded slowly, before she smiled at Lena. “Nice to meet you, Lena,” She said and Lena felt strangely undeserving of the kindness, “any friend of Kara’s is a friend of mine.”

“Likewise,” Lena told her in return, her voice unintentionally stiff. She barely registered Kara’s hand on her knee under the counter and, oddly enough, the reassuring gesture helped steady her heart rate a bit. Kara was ever the hero.

M’gann then asked, “So, what can I get both of you?” And Lena was grateful for the spotlight to be off of herself personally.

“Scotch,” Lena answered easily, drumming her fingers on the countertop, “And for Kara...” Her voice trailed as she glanced at Kara, their eyes meeting, in a silent question of whether she was serious about the alcohol.

Determined, Kara answered for her, “Aldebaran rum, please.” 

Lena took notice of the way M’gann’s eyes widened ever so slightly, but she nodded regardless.

“Whatever she orders tonight is on me,” Lena told M’gann, and then with another tap of her fingers she added, “Along with whatever they get.” She motioned to Kara’s friends and Sam. She was a billionaire, after all— She may as well use some of her extensive money to do Kara and her friends a kindness. 

M’gann nodded and smiled and went to work on getting their drinks.

Kara’s shock was practically palpable as she stuttered at Lena, “What? You don’t have to do that— That’s a lot of money, Lena.” She looked positively horrified at Lena’s decision.

It only proved to amuse Lena. She chuckled, shaking her head, and she reminded Kara, “I’m rich, you know.” She made a motion to the outfit she was wearing and told her, “This outfit alone amounts to a few thousand dollars. Trust me, buying you and your friends some drinks isn’t going to do a thing.”

The worth of the one outfit seemed to only baffle Kara further because she just started sputtering incoherent words until M’gann set two glasses in front of them. “The Aldebaran rum is deadly to humans, just so you know, so please don’t try it, Lena.”

That drew a surprised sound from Lena. “Good to know. Thank you,” Lena told M’gann for herself and Kara, who was still in shock, and M’gann flashed a smile before walking off. Lena’s attention drifted back to it’s favorite subject, Kara, and she quirked an eyebrow. “You alright, Kara?” She took a slow sip of her scotch while her eye was trained on Kara.

“Rich people are insane,” Kara told her blatantly and it drew a laugh from Lena. Lena watched, then, as Kara’s gaze drifted to her own glass with the Kryptonian-affecting alcohol. The crinkle between Kara’s eyebrows was enough to make Lena check in again.

“You don’t have to drink that, you know—“

And before she could even finish her sentence, Kara had grabbed the glass and drank it like a _shot_. All drank, in one go. Lena was so surprised she nearly choked on her own _sip_ of scotch.

“ _Kara_ ,” She scolded in appalled amusement, “Jesus Christ.” 

Kara’s face was scrunched up in a way that Lena found strangely cute, it was so dorky, and she set the glass down. “Told you I could do it,” She said with some victory in her voice as she looked at Lena seriously.

“I didn’t doubt you,” Lena countered with a laugh, “It wasn’t a challenge. But good job?” 

To that, Kara didn’t respond. Instead she just remained with that adorably scrunched up expression as she made some sort of noise Lena couldn’t quite place. “That stuff hits faster than I remember,” She observed with wide eyes breaking her scrunched up expression.

Entirely amused, Lena asked, “Feeling okay there?”

“I feel... Floaty,” Kara told her, gaze still concentrated on her quickly emptied glass. When Lena hummed in response, her careful expression faded away in lieu of a dorky grin and she loudly whispered like she was sharing a secret, “But I’m not floating.”

That sparked Lena to gape at Kara like she had truly just witnessed the end of the world. “Oh my _God_ , you’re messing with me right?” But Kara shook her head, a giggled escaping her that she tried to cover with her hand, and Lena blinked repeatedly. “How strong _is_ that stuff?”

If M’gann hadn’t said it was lethal to humans, Lena would have been rather inclined to try it for herself.

“Pretty strong if can get Supergirl tipsy,” Kara pointed out with that stupid smile, and Lena felt like she had froze. Of course, she knew Kara was Supergirl. She had well established that to herself. But, that was the closest thing to an actual _admission_ coming from Kara’s mouth, and it took Lena by surprise.

Lena wanted to take the topic off of that. _Supergirl_ was a conversation she would rather have in private with Kara, and preferably, when Kara wasn’t giggly from a drink. Rather than dwell on it, Lena smiled and said, “Good point.” Then, deciding to poke fun at Kara, she added as Kara wavered in her seat, “Or, you’re just a serious lightweight. I don’t think you’re _tipsy_.” 

Kara huffed like she was offended and crossed her arms. “I’ve had— this is the second drink I’ve had in my entire life— Be nice,” But when Lena quirked an eyebrow she broke out into her smile again. “It’s not my fault.”

“Of course not, darling,” Lena let her win that one, taking a drink of her scotch and handling it much better than Kara. From the corner of her eye, she watched at Kara and the way she was staring at Lena in this weird, sappy manner. Lena blamed Kara’s dopey expression and stare on the alcohol just as she decided she was going to take _slight_ advantage of this situation. 

“Kara?” Lena asked innocently as she caught M’gann’s eye. She nodded down to her empty glass, and M’gann gave a quick nod in return. Her gaze flicked over to Kara, questioning, and Lena quickly shook her head once she realized M’gann was asking if Kara needed another drink, too. If one of those damn drinks made Kara this giggly, another one was _not_ welcome. 

“Hmm?” Kara hummed, never taking her eyes off Kara. That strangely adoring expression of hers would just _not_ go away and Lena wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

“I have a question for you, I suppose,” Lena leaded in cautiously, “about work.” She gave M’gann a thankful nod when M’gann set her scotch down and immediately turned her attention back to Kara.

To her shock, Kara huffed, loudly. Offended, Lena turned her gaze from her scotch to Kara in order to assess what could possibly be such an issue. Kara just looked right back at her intense glare and practically whined, “Work, Lena? This is free time. Fun time. Talk about work at work.” 

Clicking her tongue, Lena rolled her eyes. “Just hear me out,” She asked Kara, who with time only looked to be getting _more_ affected by the drink she had downed. 

“Okay, okay,” Kara relented.

”You remember what you wrote about me,” Lena hesitated until Kara gave a nod, “and Winn mentioned you really loving writing. It got me thinking, recently. If you could have any job you wanted, what do you think you would do?”

“I like working for you,” Kara told her with genuineness in her tone. Lena found herself taken aback by how she could be like that even when she wasn’t thinking totally clearly.

“I like you working with me,” Lena assured her, but went on, “Hypothesize with me, okay? Just... Indulge me. I’m curious. What do you think Kara Danvers would love to be doing with her life?”

Kara was poking her empty glass as she shrugged. “I was supposed to be a scientist?” She offered like she was only halfway thinking about Lena’s question, or Lena at all. 

Something about that piqued Lena’s interest. Kara said she was _supposed to be a scientist_. She made a mental note to ask Kara about that another time, and she pressed, “Okay, but did you want to be?”

Pausing in her actions, Kara looked like she gave it thought for a moment. Finally, she said, “I didn’t have an option before.” 

“Okay... So, hypothetically, if you had the option, what would _you_ like to do?”

“Hypothetically,” Kara repeated in a hushed tone, and Lena nodded to encourage her. Lena tried to remind her heart to _calm down_ as Kara’s fingers drifted absentmindedly from her glass to Lena’s own hand. She drew Lena’s hand to her lap and fiddled with it like she weren’t fully aware she was doing it and Lena let her while trying to keep her heartbeat calm. 

“Yeah,” Lena said back, “hypothetically.”

Kara’s thumb rubbed Lena’s palm as she hummed thoughtfully. “I kinda thought about it, once or twice,” She admitted, “My cousin and his wife... They’re both reporters. And I kinda feel like... That’s what Kara Danvers could do, and be good at. I mean, reporting is all about finding the truth and helping people, and I _know_ I was meant to help people. I do, already, but... Not _me_. Not _Kara_. Does that make any sense?” She looked concentrated, trying to gauge if her words were actually getting across.

Lena swallowed heavily. “Yeah,” She assured Kara quietly, “I think I know what you mean.” Internally, she celebrated. Her hypothesis proved to be true, and somehow the way Kara said it encouraged even more. Lena wanted to do something— Later. Now, however, she was focused on Kara, and the way she almost would’ve thought Kara wasn’t drunk until she spoke again. 

“Your heartbeat is so loud,” Kara remarked with a smile, and Lena could practically feel her own heartbeat stutter at the comment and the adjoining smile. That seemed to entertain Kara further because she was taken over by another fit of silly little giggles.

“It’s a curse, I think,” Lena mumbled, only because she doubted Kara would even remember it, “I get nervous and you can _hear_ it.” 

“I make you nervous?” Kara asked immediately, the smile she had only growing wider. She stopped fidgeting with Lena’s hand and instead held it and Lena wasn’t sure which was worse. There was some kind of sparkle in her eye Lena couldn’t quite place. Kara might be good at reading Lena through her eyes and heartbeat and whatnot, but Lena didn’t understand people as well as Kara seemed to.

Free hand instinctively reaching for her scotch, Lena hesitantly gave a little _mhmm_ in response. She drank slowly, keeping eye contact with Kara, trying to read her. “More than I’d like to admit,” She said.

“Interesting,” Kara grinned, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I don’t think you will,” Lena countered with a raised eyebrow as she waved for M’gann to bring her another drink (or two). “In fact, I think you won’t remember a single thing in the morning, so.” M’gann brought her two more glasses, to what felt like Lena’s utter relief.

“Is that a challenge?” Kara asked sillily, her tone light.

“Not really, but feel free to surprise me.”

Kara leaned closer and said, “If I remember tonight I’m gonna get you a coffee mug that says _world’s best CEO_ and you have to put it on your desk. Permanently. For everyone to see.” 

The mere thought forced a sharp laugh from Lena and Kara seemed to be feeling victorious at making Lena laugh. “Okay, now I don’t think you’re drunk. You would do that sober, and I would hate you.”

“No, you’d do the thing where you pretend you’re annoyed but you’re actually happy,” Kara argued, dropping Lena’s hand to grab her wrist instead like it would make her point, “Like with the donuts. And then I would catch you smiling to yourself when you think I’m not looking because you like that I think you’re the best boss ever.”

Lena blinked at her. After a moment, she scoffed and repeated, “Okay, you’re not drunk.” 

“No, I’m not. _You’re_ drunk,” Kara argued with a laugh, and Lena immediately rolled her eyes.

“I take it back, if you were sober you’d know that’s a stretch. I know how to handle my alcohol, sweetheart.” As if to prove her point, she looked Kara dead in the eye and downed a glass of scotch as quickly as Kara did hers. Holding the empty glass to Kara to prove it, she teased, “I’ve had more than you and I’m certainly not feeling _floaty_.”

Kara laughed but promptly pouted. “Too bad,” She told Lena. Before Lena could respond she spun around like an idiot on the bar stool with an indignant _wheee!_ and said just as she was facing Lena again, “It feels nice. Free. I dunno what I’m doing and I don’t care.”

“Mhmm,” Lena replied with a roll of her eyes.

Still, many drinks later, Lena was practically hunched over with Kara, the two of them laughing so hard at something Lena already couldn’t remember for the life of her. Whatever it was had seemed hilarious, though. 

“Shut up,” Lena told Kara, pushing her shoulder as she finally overcame her insistent laughter, “Shut up. I’m serious, it’s not okay.” She didn’t know quite what was going on. She was _never_ giggly when she got _drunk_ , but Kara seemed _so funny_.

“ _No,_ ” Kara argued back, smiling, “I’m hilarious and you _know_ it.”

Lena grumbled in return but after Kara grabbed her hand again she relented, “Okay. Okay, you’re funny. But shut up. I’m begging you.” Kara was making her laugh way too much, and even under the influence, she knew it was too much laughter for her to be showing in public.

For a second, it looked like Kara was going to surrender. But, instead of making Lena laugh, she did what Lena decided was actually worse for her poor heart. Kara, still gripping her hand, leaned just a little closer and said, “Lena. Lena, I gotta tell you somethin’.”

“What?” Lena whispered back, eyes wide like she was about to get some secret told to her.

Kara gave a funny little frustrated huff that made Lena laugh again, though she smacked a hand over her own mouth to stop it. “Lena, I don’t get it,” Kara told her, “I don’t get you. You’re just so... _Wow_ , Lena, like, you’re... You’re...” She trailed.

“Let me guess, I’m _wow_?” Lena finished for her with an amused grin.

“Exactly! See, you’re smart, too.” Kara said loudly, sitting up straighter with wide eyes as if Lena was truly impressive for finishing that sentence. Then, her posture crumpled again and she rested her chin on her hand, elbow resting on the counter. She sighed through her nose, gazing at Lena the way she had been earlier again.

Lena felt like she was being observed in a lab. “What?” She asked tentatively, wanting to hear what was going through Kara’s mind.

“You’re just so _perfect_ ,” Kara admitted, her dreamy gaze still trained on Lena. Immediately, Lena felt like her throat was dry, and she tried to swallow. Kara didn’t seem to notice, and added, “I’m so happy you’re here.”

Shaking her head, Lena teased, “You’re just getting sappy because you’re drunk .”

The strange softness that had overcome Kara was gone in an instant, to Lena’s relief, and she looked humorously insulted. “I am sappy, Lena!” She argued with dedication, “Don’t let the drink take credit for my sappiness.”

“Whatever, whatever,” Lena held her hands up in defeat and Kara smiled widely.

It was then that Alex strolled over to them. Kara’s sister leaned against the counter next to Kara and she gave a little, “Hey.” She looked sheepish, Lena noticed with a wave of curiosity flashing through her. What on Earth could make Agent Alex Danvers nervous?

“Hey,” Lena replied easily. With Alex’s presence she felt much less stupid. The _giggly_ stuff was a result of _Kara_ more so than the drinks, she figured out.

Kara, however, was much less put together. Her eyes trained on Alex and she titled her head to the side. “Hey, you look like my sister,” She told Alex, her literal sister, with a big, entertained smile on her face. She pointed at Alex’s face to punctuate her claim.

Scarily quickly, the anxiety on Alex’s face disappeared and was replaced with an emotion Lena couldn’t read. “Are you slurring your words?” She asked Kara in disbelief, folding her arms across her chest and standing straight.

“Am I?” Kara asked innocently and raised a finger for each stressed syllable as she tested, “Chocolate. Choc...O...Late.” Lena couldn’t help but smile at it— Kara was unreasonably cute to her. “Oh my Rao, you _are_ my sister,” Kara said suddenly, dropping her hands.

Alex sighed loudly and she muttered, “Not this again.” And then, if Lena was seeing things right, Alex’s expression shifted to one of disappointment. “I’ll drive you home when we leave, Kara.” 

Lena, ever the brilliant woman even under the spell of too many glasses of scotch, followed Alex’s gaze across the bar. Which lead her to be looking straight at Sam, who was looking directly at Alex unlike the rest of the table of Kara’s friends. Sam and Alex seemed to be having some sort of conversation with their eyes across the bar, the disappointment fell over Sam’s face, too, and it hit Lena.

“Alex,” She said quickly and Alex’s attention was drawn to her. “I can take Kara home.”

A look of clear annoyance crossed Alex. “No offense, Luthor, but you don’t look very much in driving shape,” She denied. To make her point she waved at the empty glasses in front of both of them and then at Lena herself. 

Lena rapped her fingers against the counter as she gave Alex a _seriously?_ look. “Obviously,” She admitted easily. Obviously she wasn’t going to drive like this, much less with Kara. “I have a driver, Alex. Kara can come with me when I leave and we can stop at her apartment... Plus, I think I have one less person to drive home, so there’s definitely room.”

The last comment made Alex’s face flush red and Lena decided she was completely correct about what she had thought. 

“I’ll take Kara,” Lena told her with finality, and then added with a smile, “Have fun. Please treat _her_ well or we’re going to have a problem.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alex snapped, but at Lena’s unbelieving gaze she sighed. “...Thanks, Lena.” 

“No problem,” Lena nodded. 

Alex seemed to think for a moment. Finally, ignoring Kara grabbing Alex’s shirt to wipe the lenses of her glasses, Alex offered, “You two should come back for the table for a little bit before we all call it a night. Chill with everybody.”

Even though it wasn’t much, Lena was sure that was a big kindness in the language of Alex. Which, she was happy to accept. “Sure,” She accepted and stood to her feet. She tapped Kara’s shoulder just as Kara slid her glasses back on, “Get up.”

Kara’s big smile made Lena’s heart pick up. “Anything for you, Lena,” She teased and stood up, immediately blinking a bunch like she got dizzy. “Woah.”

Lena stifled a chuckle and set her hand on Kara’s back, instead. Alex shot the two of them a look that Lena ignored, and with that, the trio wandered back to the table of Kara’s friends. Kara walked a little bit ahead of them, and Lena took the opportunity to do something she wanted to do right then.

She set a hand on Alex’s shoulder to stop her and when Alex looked at her, she said, “Do me a favor.”

Alex gave Lena an incredulous look. “So, you offering to take Kara home so I could... Anyway, that was just to get a favor?”

Lena rolled her eyes. “No, Alex, that was because Sam’s my best friend,” She informed her, a bit offended Alex would insinuate that, and then added, “It’s more of a favor to Kara, really.” Alex looked intrigued, now, and Lena leaned close to whisper in her ear exactly what she wanted.

“You could do that?” Alex asked immediately. 

“Potentially,” Lena nodded, “So?”

For a moment, Alex thought. Her eyes wandered to Kara and held there for a few seconds. When she finally looked back to Lena, she drew her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it.

“Put your number in,” Alex ordered her, passing her phone to Lena. Lena did so, tapping around on the little screen until she hit ‘save’ and handed Alex’s phone back.

“Hey, are you guys coming?” Kara asked suddenly, ahead of them. Alex shrugged and Lena nodded as they started walking again.

As they sat back down in their original seats, Lena watched Alex whisper something to Sam. Sam looked relieved, and then happy, and Lena felt a surge of her own happiness at it. She caught Sam’s eye, then, and smiled as Sam’s face nearly went red when Lena gave her a knowing look.

Next to her, Kara seemed absolutely floored by J’onn, practically exclaiming, “Whoa, you look tall even when you’re sitting down!”

“Is she drunk?” Winn asked suddenly, pointing a thumb in Kara and Lena’s direction. He looked nearly in awe—or, horror, maybe. It drew Lena’s attention away from Sam and Alex and she eyed Winn.

“No,” Kara argued.

“Little bit?” Lena said carefully and half the group laughed while the other half practically groaned.

“I’ll cover for her if there’s any work tonight,” J’onn muttered, while Winn and Lucy were both laughing. James gave Lena a look that was less than satisfied and, frankly, if he wasn’t Kara’s friend she would have given him the nastiest glare he had ever seen. 

Lucy, unlike her boyfriend, was enjoying this. “I like you, Lena,” She said with an accompanying laugh and Lena couldn’t help but smile back at her wide grin, “You managed to get her drunk?”

That drew a scoff from Lena. “Hardly. I told her she didn’t have to drink it and she practically inhaled the drink before I could finish the sentence,” She told Lucy and the group with a sigh as she gave Kara a look that was more affectionate than annoyed. “I didn’t know she would take being nice as a challenge, but here we are.”

“I did win, though,” Kara pitched in with a stupid grin as she dropped her head on Lena’s shoulder. Lena’s grip on the table tightened.

“I don’t think anyone’s winning anything from this,” Lena argued with a raised eyebrow, trying to calm down her insistently rapid heartbeat. A smile fought it’s way onto her face as Kara’s hand tapped her own until she loosened her deathly grip on the table. “But, sure, whatever you wanna tell yourself.” 

The group talked for a while—While Lena tried to ignore everything Kara did or say because she was much to weak to handle any of it—and Lena honestly liked Kara’s friends. Winn was sort of loud, but he was nice. Lucy was welcoming to her and she was funny. J’onn had a very friendly vibe to him that Lena couldn’t quite place, he simply seemed kind and warm. Even Alex seemed to be warming up to her, if only slightly. James still seemed somewhat cold, but, oh well.

After a round of pool was played between Lucy, Alex, and Winn (Winn lost terribly, Alex won), it seemed everybody was ready to part ways and go home. Much of the bar was empty, now, many of the aliens gone, and Lena had no idea of the time it was.

When everybody was standing up, Sam came around to Lena and grabbed her arm. She leaned close and whispered nervously, “Lena, I’m not, um... Coming with you, I...” She seemed to be struggling to come up with some excuse or reason, or to be able to form the sentence without stammering, and Lena stopped her.

“I figured that much out,” She said and Sam looked equally relieved and embarrassed. Lena smiled and set her hand over Sam’s reassuringly, “Sam, don’t worry about anything, I’ll even pick Ruby up in the morning if you don’t want to come home immediately. Just go have fun.”

Cheeks red and that sheepish smile on her, Sam sighed thankfully. “Lena, thanks,” She said with a shake of her head, “you’re the best.” 

“Go on,” Lena responded with a wave of her hand in Alex’s direction. Alex was hovering around the door with her eyes locked on Sam and Lena. Her gaze immediately shot away when Lena motioned in her direction.

Sam nodded at her and in a moment she was at Sam’s side, the two of them practically sneaking out the door when none of the group was watching like they were being criminal. 

It was then that Lena caught sight of James, who was talking to Winn and Lucy, and she had a momentary surge of courage. She turned to look at Kara beside her, who was telling J’onn something in her drunken state, and Lena told her, “I’ll be right back.”

With that said, Lena strode over to James and stood straighter when he and the other two acknowledged her. He looked skeptical at her presence alone and that only fueled her.

“James, may we talk for just a minute?” Lena asked, unconsciously putting forth her CEO tone. 

The skepticism he had grew, but still he finally gave a nod and cast a glance to Lucy and Winn, who both looked curious. With his response, Lena walked past him just so that she was a small ways a way from the rest of the group. Just out of earshot. He followed hesitantly and Lena nearly rolled her eyes at how this tall, built man could seem so threatened by her.

“Can I help you with something?” James asked and Lena chose to ignore the rudeness behind it.

“Obviously we have a problem,” She said, all business. He looked like he was going to falsely argue otherwise, but stopped when Lena raised her hand. “I’m not blind, James. And I understand it. I know what my brother did to you and we both remember his trial.” 

Lex nearly ended up killing everybody in the room at his own trial, and Lena had instantly been escorted out and not affected, which probably didn’t help James’s view of Lena.

After a moment, James relented. “I don’t trust you,” He admitted, “I’m sorry, but I don’t.”

Lena only nodded. “I hope you will, eventually. But what I wanted to say is I hope we can at least tolerate each other, for Kara’s sake. You‘re one of her friends, after all, and I’d rather get along with her friends than have a silent grudge. I’m obviously not saying we have to be friends, but it would be nice if you could refrain from looking so disgusted whenever I say anything.”

James actually looked taken aback by Lena’s forwardness. “I...” He looked like he wasn’t sure what to say for a moment, but finally, he said, “For Kara, I guess. But, I’m still going to be careful around you.”

“Because you don’t trust me, I get it,” Lena didn’t stop herself from sounding sarcastic that time, but she went on, “So, sound good? We tolerate each other. That’s it. For Kara.”

It took a minute or two, but finally James agreed, “For Kara.”

Lena paused long enough to give him a short nod before she was walking away swiftly back towards Kara. She didn’t like James Olsen any more than he liked her, but she didn’t want Kara to feel bad about her not getting along with one of her friends. Kara was not dumb, she would notice how James acted eventually, so Lena may as well try to stop it. They were all adults, after all.

“Kara,” She said, poking Kara’s shoulder to get her attention, “Kara, are you ready to go?” 

Kara looked at her for a second before she said with a pleased smile, “I’ll go anywhere with you.” J’onn gave them both a look while Lena just shook her head at Kara’s words.

“Don’t get that excited, you’re going home,” Lena told her. She looked at J’onn, then, and offered a smile that she was surprised to find genuine. “Bye, J’onn. It was nice meeting you outside of your work.”

J’onn’s smile was just as warm. “The same to you, Lena Luthor.”

Lena called a few goodbyes to the others only when they took her by surprise by yelling _their_ goodbyes to her and Kara. Kara waved her hand wildly at her friends as her goodbye.

With that, Lena grabbed Kara’s hand and lead her out of the bar. When the two of them stepped outside, and the door slammed behind them, Lena found herself oddly grateful for the sudden silence in the air. The bar had been unpleasantly loud and Lena was used to spending her nights in the office where it was dead silent.

“Did I tell you that suit is... Wow,” Kara breathlessly said suddenly, breaking the lovely silence as Lena all but dragged her to where her driver was waiting. 

A smug smirk crossed Lena’s face. She couldn’t help it, she had worn the suit entirely for Kara, after all, of course she was satisfied with the compliment. “Thank you, Kara.”

Neither of them said another word as they got to Lena’s car. Her driver was waiting by the door and as soon as he laid eyes on Lena, he opened it and held it for them both. He gave Kara a glance that was somewhat curious, but Lena ignored it.

Lena helped Kara get inside before she got inside herself. The driver shut the door and rounded the car to get in the driver’s seat.

“We’re taking her home, first,” She unformed her driver and then shook Kara’s shoulder gently, “Tell him your address, Kara.”

Kara blinked for a second, but she did eventually rattle off her address to him, and then they were driving down the road.

“Lena,” Kara said.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for not being mad at me,” Kara told her quietly, her head falling down to rest on Lena’s shoulder again. 

There was a moment of quiet before Lena said just as quietly, “Thank _you_ for not being mad at _me_.” The only thing that told her Kara had heard her was a little hum Kara gave that was hardly noticeable.

There was only a few minutes between leaving the bar and Kara falling asleep. She practically passed out the second the driver pulled onto the main road, her head on Lena’s shoulder, and Lena couldn’t imagine it was too comfortable but she wasn’t complaining.

It was silent, save for the gentle hum of the motor and the tiny, barely noticeable snores that slipped from Kara every few minutes. Lena couldn’t help but look at her, the way her mouth was slightly open and the way her eyebrows pushed together and crinkled her forehead once in a while. Her glasses were nudged up slightly awkwardly from how she was laying on Lena’s shoulder, the tops of the frames pushing against her forehead, so Lena gently slid them off. She folded the glasses and held them in her lap, and if she didn’t know any better, she would say she thought Kara smiled a little in her sleep.

All of it made Lena’s heart thump unsteadily, made her stomach feel fluttery, and she knew right then that she cared about Kara more than anything. Lena loved her, even, which surprised Lena just as much as it didn’t surprise her at all.

After all, it was Kara Danvers. 

—

When the morning came, Kara excitedly headed to L-Corp. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders and, this time, she couldn’t wait to see Lena. 

After last night, even if she had embarrassed herself a bit, she couldn’t help but feel she and Lena were even closer than before. She knew Lena hadn’t ever thought any differently of her, she knew Lena had been as worried as she was about losing each other, and she wasn’t scared anymore. She wasn’t going to lose Lena, and everything seemed _normal_ again.

Except for one little thing, maybe. As Kara walked up to the little coffee stand Lena loved so much so get Lena’s one black coffee, she noticed one thing was not normal. 

“Hi!” Kara greeted cheerfully, before she asked, “Where’s Tom at?” 

Tom, the friendly guy who always worked the coffee stand and Kara adored, was nowhere in sight. Instead, working the stand was another man. He was older than Tom by the looks of him, and Kara couldn’t help but feel that he was a little less friendly.

In response to her bright greeting and smile, he only gave a halfhearted shrug. “New management, new employee,” He explained with a glance around, “you know.”

“Oh.” Kara said and then, despite his dead as a doornail personality, she smiled and joked in a well-meaning way, “Well, I hope the coffee is just as good. It’s my boss’s favorite.” 

To her victory, it managed to draw a smile from the man. Maybe a slight smirk was more accurate, but Kara decided it was a win, anyway. 

“Sure,” He told her, “It’ll get the job done, anyway.” 

Kara’s brows furrowed for a moment as she thought that was a strange way to say it. But, she quickly shook the thought off and ordered, “One black coffee, please.” He gave a short nod and turned around to do his job as Kara dug around in her pocket for a few dollars. By the time she found what she was looking for and she turned her attention back to the man, he was holding Lena’s coffee out to her. 

“Thanks!” She told him gratefully, exchanging her money for the coffee and he nodded in return. She turned and left, headed for L-Corp and, more importantly, Lena’s office.

Kara’s heart skipped a beat as she stepped into the elevator, a memory of the last time forcing it’s way into her brain, but she shook it off. This time, the elevator ride was as simple as it normally was, and was certainly more pleasing than the last time.

Everything seemed to be going pretty great, today.

However, Kara quickly frowned as she heard _talking_ inside Lena’s office. As far as Kara was aware, Lena hadn’t been expecting any visitors to her office, nor was Lena expected to be in anyone’s company at all until a meeting later in the afternoon. Additionally, from the somewhat shady conversation with her sister and accompanying conversation about Sam with Lena, something told Kara that Sam was currently occupied with someone who wasn’t Lena.

Despite herself, Kara immediately grew worried— after all, unexpected visitors to Lena’s office tended to be negative (for instance, Morgan Edge in all his irritating glory).

Entirely prepared to be protective and perhaps angry based on whoever was with Lena, Kara raised a fist and knocked on the door firmly. “Lena?” She called as Lena’s talking ceased, “I have your coffee.”

“Come in, please,” Lena called back, and if Kara didn’t know better she would say there was almost a hint of nervousness in her tone. Accepting the invitation inside gratefully, Kara pulled the door open and let herself inside Lena’s sleek office.

Immediately, Kara nearly dropped Lena’s coffee when she saw who was there.

Of course, Lena was there— she was wearing another three-piece suit, Kara noticed and her heart nearly stopped— and there was a look of both amusement and anxiety in her eyes. She had her hands clasped together and there was a smile playing on her lips as her gaze darted from Kara to the woman beside her.

“Kara,” Lena greeted, unclasping her hands and immediately clasping them again, “I want you to meet Cat Grant.” 

Sure enough, _Cat Grant_ was standing in Lena Luthor’s office. She had her purse in hand, big sunglasses on like she wasn’t planning on staying long. And, despite the sunglasses, Kara felt like Cat Grant was glaring into her very soul and somehow picking apart her each and every flaw just by looking at her. 

Kara felt a little star-struck, if she was being honest. 

“Kiera Danvers,” Cat Grant spoke, voice giving away absolutely no emotion whatsoever, and Kara felt even more taken aback. For whatever reason, Cat Grant radiated pure, unfiltered _power_ and even as Supergirl, Kara felt somewhat terrified for her own life. 

“Kara,” Kara corrected stupidly.

“Kiera,” Cat Grant said anyway, and her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth, “I’ve heard plenty about you.”

Kara felt a surge of _something_ — astonishment, maybe, or concern, even. Cat Grant knew who she was. Lena told Cat Grant about her. Or, rather, Cat Grant knew who _Kiera Danvers_ was, but that was her! She was _Kiera Danvers_ , more or less! Cat Grant was one of the most powerful women in National City (in fact, the top three included her, Lena Luthor, and Supergirl, and Kara wasn’t certain Supergirl topped either of them on that list) so Kara really couldn’t care less that Cat Grant was calling her Kiera right then. 

“I— I mean— _I’ve_ heard plenty about _you_ ,” Kara stuttered out, completely aware of how dumb she sounded but not entirely capable of _not_ sounding completely useless, “you’re _Cat Grant_.”

Cat Grant merely hummed shortly in response. She raised her free hand to her glasses and lowered them down her nose just enough so that she could peer over them. Kara felt like a fish in an aquarium as Cat Grant— _Cat Grant!_ Kara screamed internally— looked her over, up and down. 

An instant later, Cat Grant pushed her sunglasses back up and turned her attention to Lena, who hadn’t seemed to relax at all, though she was much better at hiding it than Kara. Lena was much more fit to handle Cat Grant. 

“Alright,” Cat Grant sighed, though her voice still held no emotion, good or bad, even though it felt very much judgmental, “You’ve captured my interest. The strip mall wardrobe is less than impressive,” she waved a finger at Kara’s clothes and Kara instinctively looked down at herself, “but, oh well. We’ll talk.”

For some reason, Lena visibly relaxed. “Thank you,” She told Cat Grant, a wide smile on her face. “I told you you’d be _intrigued_.”

Cat Grant shrugged a shoulder, pursed her lips, and said, “Well, you’ve never been one to oversell, so thank God for that... I’ll have my assistant, Eve, contact you, if she can even manage that.” She huffed quietly at whoever this _Eve_ may have been. This also seemed to be her goodbye, because Lena immediately thanked her for her time and then Cat Grant was walking away from Lena. 

Kara, with some of her brain coming back to her, jumped back and held open the door for Cat Grant. Cat Grant looked her over again, and walked out without another word. Kara let the door shut, and after she was sure Cat Grant was completely gone, she looked at Lena with an expression of clear awe.

“You know Cat Grant?!” She hissed, in shock, although Lena knowing Cat Grant wasn’t particularly surprising. Of course Lena Luthor knew Cat Grant. She supposed it was sort of easy to forget Lena Luthor was basically famous when she was one of the few who got to see Lena Luthor being _Lena_ , without the name and history.

It was also sort of hard to realize people like Cat Grant were real people until they were standing in front of you.

Lena merely chuckled in response and waved Kara to her desk. “Don’t take the name thing too personally, Kiera,” She teased in warning, and to be perfectly honest Kara had completely forgotten Cat Grant had called her that until right then, “Cat does that to a lot of people. I met her before running L-Corp, actually, and until I took over the company she would only call me _Leanne_.” 

“Why— How—“ Kara gaped at Lena, and then pointed at the door as she walked to Lena’s desk, “Why was Cat Grant here?”

Entertained, Lena laughed and took her coffee from Kara. She drummed her fingertips on the side of it before she simply shrugged and gazed at Kara in that mysterious manner she had, “She owed me a favor, and I took that favor in the form of her considering something for me. You’ll see soon enough, if all goes well.” 

“I,” Kara was entirely baffled, “Lena, that was _Cat Grant_.” Somehow, somebody talking about Cat Grant owing them a favor was even more mind-boggling than Cat Grant’s presence in the first place. Cat Grant didn’t seem like the type of person you asked for _favors_. More like, she says to do something and you do absolutely whatever it is because she could probably ruin you in a second. 

Teasingly, Lena quirked an eyebrow at Kara as she stood up from her desk. “And here I was thinking _I_ was your favorite billionaire in the city,” She joked with a smile as she walked around Kara and started for her balcony.

The joke flying right through Kara’s ears, she immediately waved her hands and said in her shock, “You’re my favorite, trust me— I mean, I...”

“Take a breath, love,” Lena told her and shook her head, “I forget some people get so starstruck by people like her.” 

Kara followed Lena’s words and took a deep breath. Once she felt somewhat less like she was tripping, she laughed at Lena. “I’m sorry,” She apologized, “I’m, uh, kinda dumb.” But, like, _Cat Grant_. Could anyone really blame her?

Stepping out onto her balcony, Lena looked at Kara with a smile. She took a long sip of her boiling coffee, showing no sign the heat bothered her at all, and Kara was again baffled by the fact she didn’t burn her mouth every morning. Humans were _weak_ , but apparently coffee was no match for Lena in the heat regard.

“Not dumb,” Lena corrected her after her sip, “If you are dumb, though, please don’t stop because watching you flounder around is sort of adorable.” 

Which sent Kara right back into her floundering. She grinned widely and laughed, shrugging and adjusting her glasses. “I— Sorry,” She repeated, shaking her head.

Then, Lena gave a little huff. “By the way,” She said and the annoyance in her voice was palpable, “I should warn you.”

 _That_ confused Kara and almost snapped her out of her starstruck haze. Her head tilted slightly to the side and she asked, “What do you mean?” 

Lena chewed on her bottom lip for a beat, some of her dark lipstick staining her teeth lightly. “I got a rather cryptic call this morning,” She started with a hesitance to her like she were trying to slowly gauge Kara’s reaction, “From Morgan Edge.”

That name made Kara’s blood run cold. “What did he want?” She asked with a bit more bite than she intended— She couldn’t help it, Morgan Edge made her mad.

To her credit, Lena seemed more irritated at the situation than genuinely worried about it, never one to let anybody under her skin. “Do you remember when he told me I had a _month_?” She asked Kara with a raised eyebrow.

Kara nodded, she remembered. 

Lena clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth before she went on, “I guess it’s been a month. I’d honestly completely forgotten about his poorly veiled threat until that phone call earlier. Basically, he said time was up and proceeded to accuse me of trying to murder him, again.” Her words were accompanied with a roll of her eyes as she muttered, “I can’t say I know who did try to kill him, but I almost can’t blame them for trying. Anyway, that was it. He hung up after that. I don’t think he’ll actually do anything, but he did make a point to threaten you when he was here that time, so I just wanted you to be aware.”

With that thrown out into the air, Kara felt like something was off. “...You don’t think he’ll actually do anything?” She asked slowly, unsure of the answer herself.

Lena just shrugged. “Not really,” She said nonchalantly, “Edge has never been a violent man. Annoying and misogynistic, sure, but never one to start violence.”

Something about that sentence struck a chord in Kara. It wasn’t as if she _wanted_ to believe Edge would ever do anything violent towards herself or, worse, Lena, but something about the way Lena said it made the whole sentence feel strange.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lena told her quickly and the. her smile reappeared as she switched topics on Kara. It was a little clear she was just trying to make Kara calm down. “So... Do you remember last night at all or was I right as always?”

Which, brought a wide grin to Kara. “I remember well enough to have bought a mug that says _world’s best CEO_ online.”

A loud groan erupted from Lena as she rolled her eyes dramatically. “You’re terrible,” She told Kara pointedly.

“Yeah, but you love me for it,” Kara teased immediately and a hint of _something_ flashed across Lena’s face before she grabbed her coffee and took a long drink of it to save herself from responding.

For a moment that wasn’t nearly long enough Lena just kept smiling adoringly at Kara. She took another, longer sip of her coffee, and then something felt _wrong_. Lena’s words repeated in Kara’s mind. Edge wasn’t one to _start_ violence.

And, then, Kara thought about the different worker at the coffee stand, and she looked up at Lena just as Lena had swallowed her drink.

All too suddenly for comfort, Lena’s smile fell drastically quickly and was replaced by an unexplainable expression. She stumbled where she stood, her gaze leaving Kara and moving to stare at the coffee cup in her grasp. 

Concern growing inside her, the hunch she suddenly had making her stomach twist painfully with fear, Kara’s eyes narrowed and she asked seriously, “Lena, are you okay?”

Lena’s strangely glazed over eyes met Kara’s for a too quick instant before they rolled back and Lena collapsed. Her body crumpled to the floor of her balcony, the coffee cup fell from her hand and spilled, and Lena—


	9. Edge Of Glory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena have a long-awaited talk.

The last time Kara had felt so terrified was when Krypton exploded right in front of her.

She had been so young, so innocent, and yet her Mother had put her in that pod with the responsibility of caring for her baby cousin on a planet unknown to her. She had watched her home be destroyed along with everything and everyone she loved. For the first time in her life she had been hopeless and afraid.

It was a feeling she had never wanted to experience again.

Yet, here she was now, feeling that all over again and somehow, right now, it felt worse than she remembered. 

Lena, her Lena, was laying in front of her, body writhing and mouth foaming while strangled, forced noises came from her. In the split second that she saw Lena suddenly collapse and the realization hit her, she felt like her soul was screaming. Her heart felt like it was beating torturously against her ribs and she couldn’t hear a single thing save for Lena’s sounds of pain and struggle. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t even yell out. 

Somehow, she managed to gather herself together enough to hit the button on her comm device and she begged in a strangled voice, “Alex.”

Her eyes broke away from Lena’s twitching body, to the spilled coffee cup laying next to her. The coffee. The different man at the stand. And all at once, it hit her— Morgan Edge telling Lena she had a _month_ , Morgan Edge accusing Lena of trying to kill him— _He_ hurt her. He hurt Lena.

 _“Kara? Kara, answer me,”_ Alex’s worried voice became evident in her ear, and Kara stared at Lena for a split second. She was furious, her mind filled with sudden red-hot rage and she wanted to find that _psycho_ at the stand and make him _hurt_ —

But Lena needed her.

“Send agents to L-Corp, arrest the man working the coffee stand outside the building, I’m bringing Lena to the DEO,” Kara managed to say so her earpiece would pick it up, “She’s been poisoned, Alex. It was in her coffee. Get ready for when we get there.” 

Kara spoke quietly to Lena as she knelt down, sliding her arms carefully under her. “I’m so sorry,” Kara tried to force down her emotions, not to much avail, “I’m sorry.” Lena’s shut eyes didn’t open to look up at Kara, she didn’t make any indication at all that she was aware of Kara, as Kara lifted her limp body into her arms. Kara stood up, easily carrying the Luthor.

Changing into her suit was about the last thing Kara could give a damn about right then. She jumped from Lena’s balcony, taking off, still wearing her normal, very much non-heroic Kara Danvers clothes. It was bright daylight out, sky clear from clouds, and if this had to be how Kara Danvers was exposed as Supergirl, so be it.

“Hang on, Lena,” Kara urged the half-conscious woman. She just had to get her to the DEO. Alex could help. Alex _would_ help. Her sister was brilliant and capable in the medical field and she was Lena’s only chance.

Lena’s twitching body started to go still, uncomfortably so, and Kara felt the panic surge all over again. “Hey, no, don’t do that,” Kara pleaded with her despite having no evidence Lena even knew she was talking, “I— We have a lunch date planned next Saturday. You gotta stick around for that, okay? I’ll even try that gross kombucha stuff you told me about.” Kara’s voice had an edge of hysteria to it, but for Rao’s sake, she had to keep her cool. She had to be okay for Lena. But, Rao, she couldn’t feel her brain working right now. 

And then there was nothing. Kara’s brain stopped functioning for a second. Lena could not be—and then she focused enough to hear it. Lena’s heartbeat. The darling sound was erratic, struggling and clinging for life, nearly in shock, but it was there. 

Kara had to save her. She was not _ever_ going to let Lena Luthor die. The wind picked up as Kara sped up her flight, forcing herself to fly far faster than she should, not caring about how much of her energy was going to be gone by the time she got to the DEO. As long as Lena made it, Kara could not possibly care less about accidentally blowing out her powers. She could handle another week without powers as long as Lena lived. She could handle not having powers at all as long as Lena was safe.

“Hang on, Lena,” She whispered to the unconscious woman she held so tightly, “I’ve got you.” Lena could die at any second. In one split second, she could lose her forever, and just that thought was the most terrifying thing to Kara. Kara had just gotten through her fears of losing Lena and now they were real and— She couldn’t lose Lena. she _would not_ lose Lena.

In what had to have been record time but felt like years, the DEO came into view. Kara descended with so much speed the wind flying past her caused a few nearby agents to stumble and she didn’t stop until she was inside. 

“Alex!” Kara shouted the second her shoes hit the floor and she was running forward with Lena still in her arms. Her eyes searched frantically around for her sister. Finally, her gaze landed on Alex and a handful of DEO employees rushing towards Kara with a stretcher and a heart monitor and other things Kara couldn’t pay attention to in her panic. 

When they all stopped, Alex ordered Kara to lay Lena down on the stretcher. She did immediately, setting Lena down as gently and quickly as possible. 

“200 milligrams phenobarbital, stat,” Alex ordered those working with her. The other employees started doing their job— Kara barely registered them in her mind, they were setting up the heart monitor or _something_ , one man was putting an oxygen mask on Lena—Kara’s focus was too much on Lena to watch them. 

Kara felt absolutely horrified as she stared at Lena’s body twitching violently where she lay and Kara found herself biting her fingernails in her stress.

“Come on, Lena, calm down... Two liters of saline, run it open. I want a radial artery line and two red tox.” Alex ordered again. 

One of the others spoke then, saying, “Blood pressure, 70 over palp. Pulse is 30 and falling.” 

Suddenly, Alex’s attention was on Kara. “I need to know what kind of poison he used,” She asked hurriedly.

“I don’t— I don’t know what he used,” Kara stammered out and a wave of helplessness flooded over her. What if they couldn’t save her because they didn’t know what it was— What if Lena really was about to be _gone_ and it was Kara’s fault, and—

Alex was determined, though. She set her stethoscope on Lena’s chest and under her breath she whispered, “Mustard gas, cyanide, strychnine...” Her voice trailed and she pulled off the stethoscope. Alex leaned her face next to Lena’s and she pulled off Lena’s oxygen mask long enough to smell. When she did, she said to herself, “Almonds.”

Louder, to the group, she announced, “That’s cyanide. Fifty mils of sodium thiosulfate.” To Kara, she asked, “How long has it been?”

Brain short-circuiting, Kara struggled to answer. “Two, three minutes,” She forced herself to say, and dear Rao, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. 

“Cyanide is circulating through her system,” Alex said, “Her brain and her heart are going to shut down, I need to slow down her circulation for this to work.” Those words were absolutely _horrifying_ to Kara. Lena’s heart and brain were going to stop, she would lose Lena—

“How do you slow it down?” Kara forced herself to ask.

Alex’s eyes met hers as she said, “Induce hypothermia.”

 _Hypothermia_. “I can do it,” Kara said instantly, already walking over to Alex’s side, “Let me do it.” She could help Lena, her _powers_ could help Lena if she did it right. 

Quickly, Alex held up a hand to stop the others from working. “Hold on,” She told them and turned her full attention back to Kara and Lena.

She could do it. Kara put forth all the focus she possibly could and with fear in her heart she used her freeze breath, blowing down Lena’s body from her face, down. After a second, Alex grabbed her shoulder and told her, “That’s good.” She stopped instantly and stood straight to look at the monitor with Alex.

The body temperature immediately fell dramatically—going from 102 degrees to 89 degrees in a second—but her heart rate stayed critical, the number unchanging.

Kara’s own heart felt like it was near stopping. “Come on, come on, come on,” She chanted, her eyes locked on the number like it would force the number to drop. Lena had to be okay, she _had_ to.

“Come on, Lena...” Alex said beside her.

Finally, _finally_ , her heart rate dropped back to a normal range. The monitor changed from saying _critical_ to _stable_.

“Normal sinus rhythm,” Alex said as Kara breathed a sigh of relief and held her hand over her racing heart. Lena was going to be okay, she assured herself, and her heart started to slow. “You did it, Kara.”

Kara swallowed before she set her hand on Alex’s shoulder. “No, we did,” She corrected, still breathing heavily as she looked back at Lena’s unconscious body. _Lena‘s going to be okay_ , she repeated in her head like it was her mantra. 

—

Kara stood outside of the DEO, ignoring the dust and dirt flying past her in the wind. Being outside felt better than being inside. She needed fresh air, she needed to feel like she wasn’t trapped inside, but she also needed to stay close in case Lena needed her. So, outside the DEO would do, regardless of the amount of dust the wind threw at her.

She stared up at the sky and listened to Lena’s heartbeat just in case.

Her mind was racing with what if’s—Sure, Lena was stable now, but what if she wasn’t in a minute from now? What if she hadn’t been quick enough?—and Kara’s heart hardly felt like it had slowed despite knowing Lena was currently alright. She was full of worry and anger that somebody would do this to Lena.

As a hand came to rest on her shoulder, Kara nearly leaped out of her skin. Her relaxed a second later, though, when she realized it was only Alex. Lena’s heart was still beating gently, so her biggest worries of why Alex could be there faded quickly.

“Alex,” She said quietly, “you scared me.”

“Sorry,” Alex apologized with a gentle smile and then informed her, “Lena’s going to be okay, Kara. She was lucky you got her here so quickly. She’ll wake up in a little bit.”

Kara let her eyes shut as she took a deep breath in her relief.

“You saved her,” Alex told her, “That was...A brave thing to do, risking your identity for her.” That sentence truly shocked Kara and her eyes snapped open to look at her sister. Alex was the last person in the entire DEO she thought would call her brave for stupidly flying in broad daylight in normal clothes. 

Kara’s clear surprise sparked a low laugh from Alex. “It was stupid, don’t get me wrong,” Alex assured her with both her hands on her face as she rubbed away her stress, “but it was the right thing to do. A second later than you were and she might not have been so lucky. So... Good job.”

A smile forced its way onto Kara’s expression at her sister. “Thanks, sis,” She said quietly still, and with a grunt she let herself slide down so she was sitting on the ground. Kara looked up at Alex until Alex did the same and sat next to her. When they were both sitting, Kara asked, “Alex?”

Alex turned her head to look at Kara.

Kara pursed her lips and stared down at her knees. For a minute or two she didn’t say anything, and she felt a little embarrassed when she felt a tear run down her cheek. Kara moved both of her hands to her face to wipe it away and prevent more from coming, and Alex set her hand on her knee to tell her it was fine.

“Lena’s okay, Kara,” Alex assured her and Kara shook her head. 

“That’s not why I— Well, that’s not all of it,” Kara argued, pressing her palms over her eyes. She knew what she wanted to tell Alex, what she wanted to say out loud, but it proved more difficult than even just feeling it was. 

Alex’s hand on her knee squeezed gently, reassuringly.

“I _knew_ something felt wrong,” Kara admitted to Alex with a spike of guilt, “And I didn’t stop it. I— I dunno, if I had been _thinking_ , I could have realized and stopped her before she drank it.”

“ _You_ didn’t poison her, Kara,” Alex told her, sitting straighter as she said it like it was ridiculous for Kara to even think it, “Something feeling strange doesn’t always mean something is, and no one expects you to be right all the time, ‘kay? It’s not your fault. You’re the only reason she’s alive—you _saved_ her, you didn’t hurt her.”

Lena’s heartbeat sounded loud in her ears even though it was quieter than usual and Kara felt so much emotion flowing through her. There were so many different, warring emotions fighting inside her, and yet, there was one taking the forefront.

Lena was everything to her, and if she had been struggling to figure out why before, she understood it now. 

With a small voice she admitted to her sister without much thought, “I love her so much, Alex.” She dropped her hands from her face and repeated a bit louder as her eyes met Alex’s, “I love her so much.” 

An unreadable expression flashed across Alex for only a second. She pursed her lips, her hand on Kara’s knee squeezed again, and she simply nodded. 

“I’ve never felt like this,” Kara told Alex, quietly again, “and I don’t want her to— I don’t want her to get _hurt_ and she _did_ and she’s in enough danger as it is, apparently, and what if being friends with me makes it worse? I’m Supergirl and she knows my identity, that puts her in danger.” 

“She’s already in danger,” Alex repeated in a tone that sounded like she made a point but Kara just stared at her.

“I just said that.”

But Alex, ever the helpful sister, rolled her eyes. “Yeah, so you answered your own dilemma,” She said and when the response she got was further staring from Kara, she told her, “Lena’s in danger no matter what. She’d be in more danger if she wasn’t your friend, _Supergirl_. If she wasn’t friends with Supergirl she wouldn’t be here, alive, she would be at her office, dead.” 

Kara was surprised to find that Alex had a good point. She didn’t respond immediately, her mouth closing as she thought over the words. If Lena’s assistant was anyone else, Lena would probably be dead in her office for hours before anybody noticed. Even if someone had, paramedics wouldn’t have been as quick as Kara.

“Lena is...” Alex made an expression like she was trying to tell herself it, too, before she went on, “Lena is lucky to have you, Kara.”

Kara wasn’t sure, but at the same time, if it was Alex saying that, then maybe it was right. Instead of answering, Kara put her hand on top of Alex’s and squeezed as she nodded her head.

There was a patch of silence before Alex spoke again, her voice quieter.

“...You...Love her?”

“I—I mean, obviously I love her,” Kara struggled with her words, trying to figure out what to say until she settled on a safe answer, “I love all of my friends.”

Alex shifted to face Kara better. “But you _love_ love her?” She asked nearly instantly, her expression one of absolute seriousness. Her eyes felt like they were carving into Kara’s soul, they held such an intensity to them.

The answer didn’t come right away. It hardly came at all, even. She wiped away the tears she’d let fall as she thought. It took several beats of heavy silence, several different trains of thought running through Kara’s mind, before she finally whispered out a tiny answer. “Yeah,” She said, “Yeah, I think I do, Alex.”

The truth was, Kara hadn’t felt the way she had with Lena before. She had dated, been in a couple relationships, and while in most them she had been at least satisfied... She never felt _this_. With Lena, she felt _happy_ , not just _satisfied_ , not just contented, but honestly and truly happy. Lena made her feel special in a way nobody else did, and that said a lot considering Kara was Supergirl. She _was_ special. But the way Lena made it feel was _different_.

The way it felt to almost lose that, to almost lose Lena... Kara didn’t think she could have ever fully recovered if she had lost her. 

And, maybe, she loved Lena Luthor.

Beside Kara, Alex had a contemplative look on her face for the better part of a few minutes. She didn’t respond to Kara’s confession other than by staring deep into her very soul some more, and Kara started to get fidgety. It was somewhat unnerving, having Alex’s concentrated stare on her after admitting something so serious, and being unable to gauge her thoughts. For a moment Kara was jealous of J’onn’s mind reading abilities. 

Just as Kara was about to lose her cool and practically beg Alex to say something, Alex’s eyes shut and she sighed heavily. When her eyes opened again, there was a strange sense of acceptance in them, and she gave Kara a meaningful smile.

“After Lena’s had a little time to recover after this,” Alex instructed her slowly, “I think you should tell her how you feel.”

Which was _not_ the response Kara had expected from Alex. Her back popped, she turned her whole body towards Alex so quickly. Her eyes went wide and with a stutter in her voice, she gaped and asked, “Are you serious?”

Alex fidgeted with her belt for a second before she said, “I want you to be happy, Kara.” Her eyes left Kara, then, and instead trained on the ground in front of them. Her eyes narrowed as she chewed her lip like she was concentrated, and then she went on, “Life is crazy and weird, especially for people like us. This day proves that much. And, I think... We never know what’s going to happen, or when, or how, so we should do what makes us happy. You should... Kiss the girl you wanna kiss and tell her how you feel and be happy with her.” 

Kara was very nearly blown away by the words coming out of her sister’s mouth. The soft, thoughtful words and expression Alex had were the farthest thing from what Kara was expecting Alex to have, especially after how she had felt about Lena in the past.

And, then, it suddenly hit her and she practically shrieked. “You met someone, didn’t you?!” She accused, poking a finger into Alex’s shoulder as Alex‘s alarmed face looked at her. That expression alone was enough to confirm Kara’s hypothesis, in her opinion, and she nearly shouted, “Oh my _Rao_ , you _did!_ That’s why you’re being all sappy and stuff!”

Sputtering, Alex frantically shook her head in absolute horror. “What—Kara—I—No! What are you talking about?” She blatantly lied before Kara smacked her bicep and she let out an, “Ow! Jesus Christ!”

“You absolutely met someone! Who is she? Do I know her?” Kara badgered on, punctuating each question with a poke to Alex’s shoulder, “How long has this been going on and you haven’t told your _sister?_ ”

Alex smacked her hand away. “I try to be a supportive sister, and this is what I get,” Alex muttered, appalled and clearly embarrassed. When Kara refused to stop asking the same questions over and over again, Alex finally snapped and relented. “Fine! Fine, I _might_ have met someone, are you happy?”

Kara’s overly excited squeal was cut off by Alex clearing her throat loudly. This was the happiest Kara had felt for her sister in a long while. She knew Alex had tried dating a couple of times after Maggie, but she hadn’t gone on a second date with anybody and quickly gave up trying, saying she was too busy with work.

“No. Don’t get that look on your face like you’re planning my wedding,” Alex warned with a finger pointed threateningly at Kara, who gave her the most innocent look she could. Alex’s face fell slightly as she explained further, “It’s just... A dumb crush. I don’t even know if she’s that interested, okay? We kind of, um... We just had a... She just _spent the night_.”

Kara’s mouth fell open. “ _Alex!_ ” She gasped with a grin, “You had a one night stand, again?” When she and Alex went to Barry’s Earth for his wedding, Alex had drunkenly had a one night stand with the Legends of Tomorrow’s own Sara Lance, and Kara barely let her forget about it.

Completely embarrassed, Alex looked at Kara painfully. “I know! I’m gross,” She all but wailed, but then gave a hopeful sort of smile, “She told me a lot about herself and I really like her so far. But I’m going on an actual date with her. Um, tomorrow, actually. She... _She_ asked _me_. So, maybe she’s _interested_ interested in me too?”

”Alex,” Kara’s cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling, and she grabbed her sister’s shoulders to shake her as she said, “This is great! Seriously, who is she? What’s she like? I wanna meet her.”

If possible, Alex’s face seemed to redden further. “Um, you have met her,” She said with a lilt to her tone as she eyed Kara’s face carefully like she was trying to gauge Kara’s reaction. 

Kara’s brain immediately went into overdrive, trying to think of who Alex could have possibly been interested in that they both know. Truthfully, they didn’t have many female friends and the one Kara could think of was happily dating James, so Kara was admittedly lost. She gave Alex a shrug to express that she hadn’t the slightest clue.

Even quieter than before she said through her teeth, “It’s—you know. Sam... Arias, Sam Arias.” 

Kara very nearly launched herself into the sky at that. “ _What?!_ ” She yelled, wide eyed as she stared unbelievingly at Alex, who looked near traumatized by this conversation, “You _did that_ with Lena’s best friend?! When?!”

“Last night. You were too drunk to notice anything,” Alex pointed out, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

Unable to help herself, Kara laughed. “I can’t believe you,” She said while shaking her head and smiling to herself, “How did that even happen?” Admittedly, of all the people in the world, Kara’s last guess would have been Sam Arias. She really hadn’t realized they had even talked to each other at the bar, but then again she was so caught up on Lena and being drunk to notice much. Kara barely remembered enough of last night to remember her bet with Lena, but that was something she basically forced herself to remember because she liked winning.

“I don’t know! I went to L-Corp to invite Lena and she was there, too, and I impulsively invited her, too,” Alex explained like she was trying to work it out herself, “Then, she did come, and you went off with Lena. We were talking all night and, I don’t know, I just felt...I haven’t felt like that since early when I met Maggie. I feel like something could maybe come out of this—Oh, God, does that sound stupid?”

“No!” Kara immediately assured, grabbing Alex’s hand, “No, of course not, sis.” It was probably the least stupid thing Kara had heard from Alex the last few months. Alex was very reserved with her heart, and if she wanted to give it a shot with Sam Arias, Kara was more than happy about it. “This is awesome, I promise. Sam’s really, really nice.”

“...Thanks,” Alex mumbled, her face red, and even though it didn’t sound like much of a thank you, Kara knew she genuinely appreciated it. Her sister was a tough one to crack, sometimes. “I hope it goes good.”

“It will,” Kara said, but her mind thought, _me too_. After seeing how devastated and broken Alex was after leaving her fiancé, Kara didn’t want to see her like that again. Though that’s simply how life works, Kara wished it wasn’t. Kara was going to have to have a little chat with Sam if it went bad. 

“You think?”

“Yeah, I do. It’s about time you start getting out there.”

Alex scoffed at that, “You’re one to talk. If you hadn’t been forced to work with Lena I don’t think we’d be having a conversation about _you_ liking anybody for a _long_ time.”

Kara punched her shoulder lightly. “Not the point, sis,” She have a dramatic roll of her eyes, before she smiled brightly, “Call me immediately after your date with Sam, cool? Come here.”

Because both of them seemed to need it (herself especially), Kara pulled Alex into the best hug she could in their position. Alex hugged her back with a sigh, and Kara simply appreciated to herself how her sister was being so kind about Lena now. It all was definitely an improvement from Alex yelling at her about Lena and then trying _very_ hard to get Lena arrested.

For several entertaining moments, Alex grumbled incoherent nonsense, mostly to herself, out of her embarrassment. When it seemed she had finally pulled herself together, she pulled away from Kara, forced on a serious look and she said, “If we’re done talking about me, I think we have business to talk about.” 

Kara felt like a balloon that had deflated as soon as she was reminded of the situation at hand. Alex’s love life (was that too strong of a word? Kara wasn’t sure) was a very welcome distraction to all of it. But, Alex was right, they did need to talk about Lena’s poisoning.

Nodding, Kara braced herself. “Is Edge gonna get arrested?” She asked, and the sorry look in Alex’s eye immediately made her stomach twist. 

“I sent a group to L-Corp, like you asked,” Alex informed her and then with some regret she added, “The man at the coffee stand, my guys told me he got shot when they got there. A sniper they haven’t found. So, our only suspect is dead.”

Definitely not good news. Kara clenched her jaw and held her fists against her lap, trying to fight her anger, and she clarified, “He’s dead, and we don’t know who shot him.” Although, Kara’s brain was screaming one name as a very big possibility: Morgan Edge. 

“It gets weirder,” Alex told her, “and worse.”

Kara bit back the sigh she wanted to give. “Hit me,” She prompted, and steeled herself for what could possibly make it worse.

“There’s no bullet.”

At that, Kara narrowed her eyes at Alex. “What do you mean there’s no bullet?” She asked, confused and sure she must have heard wrong somehow, regardless of having better hearing than any human. Alex _had_ said the coffee stand guy had been _shot_ , right?

Alex clicked her tongue before nodding. “I’m as confused as you are. We’ve never seen anything like it, but there’s _no bullet_. There’s no exit wound, only an entry wound, but there’s no bullet. It’s like it disappeared into thin air. Winn’s searching, but as far as I’m aware, there’s nothing like that on the markets. Until we get a lead, there’s nothing we can do to find out who shot this guy and so on.”

A vanishing bullet. That was definitely an addition to the list of terrible things that happened that day—The guy who poisoned Lena was dead and the DEO couldn’t get information from a dead man no matter how hard they tried, and there wasn’t a clue as to who shot him. Which meant Morgan Edge wasn’t linked at all by evidence nor confession at this rate.

Kara _knew_ it was Morgan Edge.

“Lena’s still out, right?” Kara asked Alex suddenly.

It seemed to take Alex slightly by surprise in the midst of the current conversation, but she gave a nod. 

“How long?”

“Not sure. She could be out for a little while.”

Kara took that information with a thoughtful nod. Pursing her lips tightly, Kara stood up as she reached to the front of her shirt to undo the buttons. “If Lena wakes up while I’m gone, call me immediately,” Kara instructed Alex, who’s as scrambling to her feet after her, as she carelessly let her coat and shirt fall to the ground, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

Being a good sister, Alex picked up Kara’s clothes from where she let them fall and eyed Kara’s suit. “Okay,” She agreed slowly, before she cautiously asked, “Where are you going? You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?”

Silently, Kara handed Alex her glasses. Instead of answering, she only said, “I’ll see you in a little bit.” Before Alex could interrogate her further, she took off, launching herself into the open sky and beginning her journey back to the city. She heard Alex yell her name out in a warning tone, but Kara couldn’t bring herself to care very much. 

Supergirl had business to attend to.

—

The flight to her destination was not a pleasant one. The usual lovely feeling of the wind on her face and the simple knowledge that she was above the world was currently engulfed as she tried to keep her anger at bay. Supergirl had gone through time after time after time of things that truly made it hard to keep her fury to herself during her Supergirl career, and it wasn’t any easier this time. There had been a time, nearly a year ago, that Alex had gotten kidnapped by someone with a revenge plot against Supergirl, and Kara could say that anger was similar to the kind she felt now.

As the building she was looking for came into her view, the red-hot feeling of pure and utter rage bubbled up ten times stronger. Stopping her flight, she hovered just above the building in question, and she shut her eyes. Through her nose, she took a long, deep breath in an attempt to keep her calmness in place.

It was to little avail, but it was better than nothing.

Supergirl did a quick scan of the building to find exactly who she was looking for and landed on his balcony harshly. She gripped the handle of the door to the office and, seeing as it was locked, she turned with enough force that she _heard_ the lock all but shatter. The man inside didn’t even flinch in reaction to all the noise, and if he was at all surprised by the ruckus he gave no indication. It was almost as if he had expected it.

Regardless, she opened the now rendered useless door and stomped inside.

“Edge.” 

Morgan Edge turned from where he stood, waving his assistant out of his office. The assistant had wide eyes, locked onto Supergirl, before she rushed out with a bit of fear evident in her pounding heartbeat. Even when Edge’s eyes landed on the hero, he showed no ounce of shock or fear. That disgustingly smug smirk worked its way onto his features and he seemed _amused_ more than afraid of the alien that could kill him in an instant, like it was a _game_ to him. That made Supergirl even more furious, because Lena’s life was _not a game_.

A foot away from him, Supergirl stopped. She crossed her arms, made herself stand taller, and with a glare she ordered, “Confess, _now_ , if you know what’s good for you.”

“So, what brings the Girl of Steel to my office to threaten me?” Edge asked with faux innocence, that smug look still camping there and making Supergirl angrier by the second. The Girl of Steel was not feeling very patient right then and this man was _really_ trying her. 

”You know exactly why I’m here.” Supergirl prompted and when all she got in response was the same fake innocent look, she took a step forward and said, “You tried to kill Lena Luthor. You have this _sick_ vendetta against her and this morning you tried to hurt her.”

Edge made a clicking noise with his tongue and said, “Oh, that’s what you’re on about. It’s all over the news.” He shook his head as if he were sorry he couldn’t be more help and he added, “Wasn’t me. Besides, I heard the guy who did it died.”

“Convenient.”

“It’s a _shame_ , they could have really brought him to justice,” Edge said and gave a shrug, “Oh, well.”

“Right.” Supergirl was prickling with so much annoyance and anger at him. How someone could try to hurt Lena, _and_ act like it was no big deal he tried to do such a thing, was beyond her. The blatant obviousness of how fake his reaction was made her want to punch him directly in his smug grin. Supergirl doubted he would be so cocky with a few teeth knocked out.

 _But_ the last thing she needed right then was for Edge to spin some story about Supergirl attacking him for no reason, and then find a way to tie it to Lena. Supergirl didn’t doubt he would if given the chance and she was _not_ going to give him the chance.

Instead, Supergirl told him with an unnervingly chilly tone, “You’re going to regret this, Edge. Believe me. Either you confess, or I’ll force it out of you. You might think you’re so high and mighty but trust me,” She took a step forward so that she was only inches away from him to make sure her point was clear, “You won’t be so confident if you have to go up against _me_.”

Edge seemed to take this information in for a moment before he gave a chuckle. “You can show yourself out, Supergirl,” He told her dismissively as he turned and went back to his business, “You know the way you came in.”

It took all of Supergirl’s will to refrain from giving into her desire to _punch_ now, ask questions later. Her fists curled at her sides as she stalked back towards the broken balcony door, trying to keep her cool. When she stepped out onto the balcony, she gave a final warning of, “Turn yourself in or I won’t be so friendly next time you see me.”

With that said, Supergirl flew away with the sudden desire to kick down Morgan Edge’s entire building.

—

Almost immediately after Kara had gotten her clothes back from Alex and changed, Lena woke up.

Kara had made sure to be back as Kara Danvers before she went into the room where Lena was unconscious, because she figured it would be better for Lena’s friend to be there rather than Supergirl. Even if Lena knew the two were one in the same, Kara figured it might be a better choice, especially after going through the situation she had.

Winn led her there, mumbling something to her that she didn’t listen to.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Lena. Even though she was expecting it and thought she was prepared, it hurt her to see Lena laying in the DEO after almost dying. Kara stopped just in the doorway, feeling stuck, frozen, as she watched Lena. It wasn’t right, Lena being there. Lena should be in her office, pretending to be annoyed while Kara places a box of donuts on her desk, not _here_ , not like _that_ —

It was only a moment later that Lena’s previously still face twitched, her eyebrows lowering and her lips pursing. Kara nearly tripped on her own feet as it forced her into action, out of her stillness, and she rushed to Lena’s side. 

“Lena?” She asked quietly, her hand finding Lena’s as Lena slowly woke up. Lena’s sharp eyes held so much confusion to them, the sort of hazy confusion that comes with being only half awake as of yet, and they found Kara’s gaze quickly. 

“Kara?” Lena asked, groggily, and without another thought she sat up. 

“Hey, take it easy,” Kara told her softly.

Immediately, Lena’s eyes shut again and she tugged her hand away from Kara’s to rub at her temple as she groaned quietly, ”What the hell happened?”

But Kara, _Kara_ felt nothing but sheer joy radiating through her system. She couldn’t help the shining smile that forced its way onto her face, and she felt like she was all but physically buzzing with excitement. Lena was _awake_ , she was _alive_ , and that’s what mattered more than anything to Kara. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” Kara told her instinctively.

Lena only made another noise in response before she opened her eyes again and looked at Kara. Still rubbing at her temple, she questioned, “Why do I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck?” 

There it was. Kara hesitated for a second under Lena’s gaze, but finally she relented and admitted quietly, “You were poisoned, Lena. It was in your coffee.” _You almost died,_ Kara’s mind screamed in an excruciating reminder, but she bit her tongue and held that detail in. 

Kara watched Lena’s face closely to gauge her reaction, expecting something, fear maybe—and she wasn’t sure whether it was worse or better when Lena didn’t look entirely surprised. It was old knowledge that Lena had been attacked in the past, though she had not ever been _so_ close to truly dying, and it _was_ new knowledge that Lena was _used to it_.

The realization made Kara feel somewhat ill.

Behind her, Winn started talking in a foolish attempt to cover up Kara’s secret identity, “Kara reacted really, _really_ quickly—She’s friends with Supergirl, did you know that? Sure you did. Yeah, so, she got in contact with Supergirl and Supergirl got you here—“

Unappreciative, Kara turned her head to glare at him. “Winn,” She said tensely and chose to respond to his confused expression with another glare. She spared a glance at Lena, who was rubbing her temple again, and then mouthed to him, _she knows_.

Winn’s mouth dropped open as he struggled to say something, but quickly he gave up and his mouth clamped shut. At Kara’s insistent glare, he muttered a quick excuse and all but _bolted_ out of the room.

Turning back to Lena, Kara gave an apologetic frown. “Sorry about him, it’s... You know,” She said and despite it being probably one of the least eloquent sentences she had ever spoken, Lena seemed to understand.

For a moment or two, Lena nodded, seemingly thinking about what Kara told her. Finally, she asked with her jaw set, “It was Edge who did it, wasn’t it?”

Throat feeling dry, Kara nodded. “Yeah,” She confirmed a bit weakly.

Lena’s next question came even quicker. “Has he been arrested?”

“No,” Kara felt even more guilty, having to watch Lena’s face while she tells her all of this, “He didn’t do it himself, he hired a hitman. And...The hitman, he’s dead now, so we can’t...Ask him.” Kara truly hated the hopeless look on Lena’s face. She _hated_ to be the one to make Lena look so hopeless.

“Okay,” Lena said slowly and asked, “But we’re going to figure out who shot him, right?” When Kara didn’t answer right away, Lena sat up straighter and asked more firmly, “Right, Kara?”

“…About that,” Kara started quietly and she could practically feel the last remaining drops of hope Lena had fade away, “That’s the weird thing. Apparently there isn’t a bullet, so we can’t track down the gun or the person. Alex said it’s like the bullet just disappeared in the guy’s body. Totally vanished.”

To Kara’s confusion, Lena’s eyes shot up at that. Her voice was louder now, less gentle, and she asked, “Did you say the bullet disappeared?”

Eyebrows raising, Kara asked slowly, “Yeah, do you…Know something about that?” 

A beat passed before Lena smiled and assured Kara, “No, of course not.” Something about it felt fake to Kara, but she didn’t know why Lena would have a reason to lie, so she let it go. Lena then questioned, still with the strangely fake smile, “Can I go home?”

Any suspicious thoughts Kara was having dropped then. She perked up immediately and she told Lena, “Yeah!” Lena looked like she was relieved and Kara added, “Alex said you’re good to go. She’s just gonna get you some medicine or painkillers or somethin’ because she said you’ll probably have a headache. And feel like you…”

“Just got hit by a truck,” Lena supplied dryly and Kara gave a nervous laugh to confirm.

“But, yeah, so she’s just gonna do that and then I can take you home.”

“Wonderful,” Lena said, still with that odd smile, but Kara didn’t push. She had just gotten hurt, that’s probably why she seemed a bit strange, Kara assured herself. After trying to assure herself of that, Kara excused herself and went to locate Alex.

—

“I’m fine,” Lena insisted as Kara lead her into her penthouse, her arm protectively set around Lena’s shoulders. Her arguments were to little avail, though, because Kara gently pulled Lena in closer to her side in response. Lena gave a protesting grunt but otherwise made no attempt to remove herself from where she was pressed up against Kara as they walked.

“Can I get anything for you?” Kara asked rather than pay attention to Lena’s insistence that she was okay.

“Scotch,” Lena answered simply and Kara almost stopped walking to look at her.

“I don’t think scotch and painkillers mix very well.”

“Says who?” 

“Uh...Everyone?” 

Bitterly, Lena grumbled some nonsense to herself. Then, she repeated, “I’m fine, you don’t have to help me.”

“You went through a lot today,” Kara said with only a bit of a scolding tone, “You can say you’re fine but I’m still gonna take care of you. Plus, you already admitted you have a really bad headache, so don’t try to pretend you’re totally good now. Where’s your bedroom?”

“Why do I tell you anything?” Lena grumbled before she pointed down the hallway and Kara started for her bedroom. “I have work to do. Randomly disappearing in the middle of a work day doesn’t usually do well for business.”

Kara couldn’t believe this woman. “You _disappeared_ because you almost _died_ and needed _help_ so you _wouldn’t die_ ,” Kara reminded her with an incredulous tone. She opened the door to Lena’s bedroom and, as she expected, that room alone seemed to be the size of her own apartment. Not particularly colorful, much like the rest of her apartment and her office, and it felt more like a hotel room than a room this woman _lived_ in.

“I’m sure the board won’t be so understanding of that. Maybe if I actually did die, they might,” Lena grumbled as Kara lead her to bed and with a nearly pleading look from Kara she got in. Satisfied, Kara smiled and pulled a neatly folded blanket from the foot of the bed to pull over Lena’s legs. At Lena’s amused eye roll and wave of her hand, Kara sat on the edge of the bed next to Lena.

Fixing the blanket absentmindedly on Lena’s lap, Kara mused, “ _The board_ can take any issues up with me, then. I don’t know, could be wrong, but I think I could take ‘em.” That sparked a laugh from Lena and Lena batted Kara’s hands away from the thin blanket she wouldn’t stop fussing over.

“Oh, really?” Lena questioned sarcastically as she looked at Kara with that insanely lovely eyebrow raise she did, “No, I’m quite sure the grey-haired money-hungry men on the board could definitely win in a fight with you, Miss Danvers.” Her sentence was punctuated with a rather obvious flit of her gaze down to Kara’s biceps and back.

“Hmm... No, I think I’d win,” Kara said with over-exaggerated contemplation, scratching her chin, before a grin erupted on her face and she said, “For you, of course I would.” 

If Lena was at all flustered, she recovered fairly quickly and she went directly back into her sarcasm and self-deprecation. With a huff she said, “You’ve already stopped my timely demise once today, I think if it happens again it’s just meant to be.” 

“I—Stop that,” Kara sputtered out and before Lena could possibly utter another similar word, she grabbed for both of Lena’s hands and held them tightly. Lena’s mouth fell shut again and, for a second, she only held Kara’s gaze. Suddenly curious, Kara asked somewhat hesitantly, “You don’t actually think stuff like that, do you? I know you’re joking, but also...I mean, do you mean it?” Lena just seemed to care so little about it all, so unsurprised it had even happened.

That time, Lena clearly was unsure of what to say. Her lips parted, and closed, and parted again, like she were trying to figure out a carefully articulated response, but eventually she pursued her lips and Kara heard her swallow. Kara frowned as she awaited the response.

After a minute, she said with so much truth in her voice it made Kara’s stomach flip, “Yes and no. But, how can I mean it when someone like you is so set on keeping me around? I guess I’m doing _something_ right.” 

Kara’s frown changed to a soft smile. “Yeah, you’re amazing,” She said with equal truth, though to say Lena Luthor was amazing was a horrendous understatement, and she squeezed Lena’s hands, “And, you know, I’m gonna save you, always. Whether you like it or not.” 

Lena’s heart spiked in that way Kara liked. Voice quieter, Lena shook her head and said in an equally teasing and honest tone, “My hero.”

And then there was nothing. Simply silence as Lena and Kara smiled at each other, eyes locked, and as Kara’s brain went into a sudden overdrive.

Because, Kara knew she shouldn’t even let herself think in the way that she was. She knew from the beginning that she shouldn’t let herself feel anything for Lena Luthor—She was Kara’s boss. Not to mention, for Rao’s sake, she was _Lena Luthor_. Lena Luthor, who was rich, and always dressed far nicer than necessary, and insanely smart, and she was one of the strongest women Kara knew, and was probably _the_ single most beautiful woman Kara had ever seen on any planet...And Kara had been to a few of those, so she would know.

But, Kara’s downfall in the manner of keeping her emotional distance was rather inevitable, because Lena Luthor was brilliant, kind, beautiful, and genuinely good—and really, Kara was doomed from the second she walked into L-Corp all that while ago. 

Emotions were never something Kara was particularly skilled at hiding, though she’s tried, and the thought that she could have lost Lena was eating at her mind like a parasite. One minute later than she had been and Lena could have been gone. One minute later and Kara would never have gotten to see that smile again. That smile that Kara took so much pride in causing, the smile she strove to see.

But Lena survived. Lena was here, with her, and she was smiling at Kara like Kara Danvers was her entire world, even though Kara felt like she deserved anything but that from Lena. 

There was so much relief in the knowledge Lena was here with her. All Kara knew was that she was so thankful that Lena was okay. Lena was safe. Lena didn’t blame her.

Kara knew she wouldn’t have been able to handle losing Lena, but she wasn’t sure she would have been able to handle Lena blaming her, either. She didn’t know if she could have completely forgiven herself in either situation.

Lena had quite literally walked through hell and back. Kara knew, in the sliver of a logical portion of her mind, that she shouldn’t let herself be so carried away by her emotions. But the rest of her mind was flooded with _what ifs_ and relief and, Rao, Lena Luthor was _here_ and Kara didn’t know what she would have done if she had lost her.

Somewhat subconsciously, Kara had focused her hearing so closely on Lena’s heartbeat ever since she had been sure Lena was safe. It was a reminder Lena really was okay. Likewise, Kara didn’t want to take her eyes away from Lena’s. She thought, distantly and affectionately, about the little scar under Lena’s eyebrow and how her eyes were slightly different colors, one more blue and one more green. The difference of her eyes was something Kara hadn’t noticed right away and yet now she felt transfixed by it.

Those sharp eyes bore into Kara, but now they had a gentle air to them. They held kindness and understanding, and every emotion swimming behind them was genuine. If Kara had even the tiniest less bit of self control, she was sure she would have cried at how she felt so _loved_ when Lena Luthor looked at her. 

Somehow everything Lena did was captivating. Kara watched, unmoving in her captivation, as Lena’s smile melted into a close-lipped one, though it was still as genuine. There was a look of uncertainty that flashed across her that Kara couldn’t explain, and Lena pushed herself up so she was sitting straighter. Her hand still clung to Kara’s and she gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze as Kara surged forward to help her.

“Kara,” Lena near-whispered, and Kara was taken back to that night on the balcony when Lena took off the glasses that hid Kara’s secret. It was there, again— that unfamiliar feeling in the air between them, riddled in the silence and locked stares. However, with Kara’s secret out in the open already, and the logical part of her brain taken over by her hope, she thought that this time she might understand.

“Yeah?” Kara answered shakily, just as quietly, as if raising her voice in the slightest would take away this feeling, this moment. 

To Kara’s momentary dismay, Lena pulled her hand from Kara’s. She took her bottom lip in between her teeth for a moment, biting it with obvious nervousness, before she stopped and looked at Kara intently again. Kara felt frozen to the spot as Lena reached forward and gripped the lapels of Kara’s coat— she felt a surge of _hope_ as she let herself be pulled closer by a tentative Lena. 

There they sat, with Kara sitting at Lena’s bedside, pulled just inches away from Lena. Lena’s hands gripped the lapels firmly, like she were terrified if she let go then Kara would leave, though Kara wouldn’t dream of it. 

When one of them was finally able to speak, it was Lena. Her voice quiet, still, she held firm eye contact with Kara and admitted, “I don’t want to ruin anything.” Her voice was filled with genuine worry, fear even, her emotions laid out bare for Kara to feel every bit of them. There was no context or explanation and yet, somehow, the words said everything Kara needed to hear.

Ever the hero, Kara wanted to tell Lena that she couldn’t possibly ruin a thing. But words seemed to fail her, and her heart seemed to have a mind of its own, and she thought, _maybe_ , just maybe, actions spoke louder than words. 

With a sudden spike in her confidence, Kara closed the space between them before she could lose her nerve, and finally, she did what she had been wanting so badly to do. She kissed Lena. It was gentle, her lips barely set on Lena’s, but it was a gesture filled with promise, reassurance, and confession. She wanted to tell Lena how she unexpectedly made Kara feel, she wanted to tell Lena how much she meant to her.

Her point must have gotten across, because she felt Lena relax more. Lena tugged Kara closer, melting into the soft kiss as much as Kara had, and in a second she was kissing Kara back with a hesitancy to her, like she wasn’t entirely confident that it was okay for her to do it. 

Eager to assure Lena that it was _more_ than okay, Kara’s hands drifted up and she cupped Lena’s face. Her thumb brushed gentle strokes across Lena’s cheekbone as she kissed Lena a bit firmer. To Kara’s content, Lena’s hesitancy slipped away and she gladly obliged. 

To say Kara’s heart felt full at that moment would be the understatement of the century. Lena Luthor was kissing her and it felt _perfect_. It was soft and reassuring and, above all, _loving_. It wasn’t like fireworks were going off in her mind; as in, it wasn’t overwhelming, rather it simply felt _right_ and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. It felt like something had finally clicked into place. Lena made Kara feel complete, like before a part of her had been missing and Lena was the perfectly fitting puzzle piece that made her whole.

Kara never would have imagined that a Luthor and a Super would ever seem so right together, and yet Kara couldn’t imagine anybody else being with her right then instead of Lena.

Unable to help herself, Kara smiled into the kiss, the most heartfelt kiss she had ever had. _This is real_ , her brain repeated like a prayer that it truly was something real, trying to convince herself that she really was kissing Lena Luthor. Something about it seemed so impossible— or maybe Kara just felt like she had never been lucky enough to ever have something this genuinely good happen to her. Yet, here she was.

She had no idea how long they stayed together like that, her hand brushing idly through Lena’s gorgeous dark hair while they kissed, because it could have been twenty seconds or twenty hours for all she cared. But, however long they did stay like that, the two of them eventually pulled away from each other. Moving away from Lena was the last thing Kara wanted to do, and judging by the look in Lena’s eyes and her still parted lips, Lena felt the same way. Which, resulted in them remaining mere inches apart, hands still on each other, rather than parting completely.

Lena exhaled a shaky breath, before she laughed breathily and quietly. “Wow,” She mumbled with a look that said she couldn’t possibly put together any other words right then. 

Kara felt about the same. Lena always had a way of leaving her speechless, but after _that?_ “Wow is right,” Kara agreed with a giggly laugh of her own. Her fingers moved back to Lena’s face and she tucked Lena’s soft hair behind her ear before she trailed her fingertips along her jawline. She was simply admiring Lena like she were the most beautiful thing she had ever seen— and that, Kara sheepishly admitted to herself, was a rather accurate description.

Lena’s eyes slid shut as she let herself relax to Kara’s touch and gaze and Kara couldn’t help but smile. In fact, Kara thought Lena might be so overcome with emotion she couldn’t bear make eye contact. Which was something Kara suspected because she as well felt quite the same, though Lena was much to captivating to _not_ look at.

“If those painkillers are causing my brain to make all of this up,” Lena mused with a teasing smile, her eyes still closed, “I’m going to have a very angry conversation with Alex for ever giving me them.” She caught Kara’s hand in her own and held it tightly like she were making sure Kara was, indeed, flesh and blood rather than a drug-induced hallucination.

The joke made Kara laugh, the being sound the loudest thing either of them had allowed anything to be the entire time, and she shook her head. “Unless we’re having the same hallucination, I think you’re good,” She informed with a teasing tone as Lena opened her eyes again and smiled toothily. 

“We should talk,” Lena said and Kara knew that they definitely had a lot to talk about. What with the Supergirl debacle, Lena’s poisoning, and now that _kiss_.

“Yeah,” Kara agreed, “we should.”

“Can I kiss you again?” Lena blurted despite herself and her own statement that they should talk, and to Kara’s surprise, she immediately looked embarrassed at her own question. Kara couldn’t possibly let Lena feel embarrassment from it when Kara herself had been barely controlling herself from kissing Lena again from the second they split.

Talking could wait a bit longer, Kara decided. “Please,” Kara answered in just as much earnest and the relieved, hopeful look in Lena’s eyes was enough to flood her with emotion. It was unfathomable, the amount of adoration she had for Lena, how much she felt for her.

Lena, with her own surge of confidence, grabbed hold of Kara’s lapels again and tugged her with much more fervor than the first time. This time, she was the one to close the gap between them, and she kissed Kara as if she wanted to savor every second they had together like she wouldn’t get another chance. Rao, Kara was going to have a lot to tell Alex and Winn later.

Lena’s arms slipped around Kara’s back, which provided a sense that they were even closer, and Kara loved it. She thought, if the world wasn’t so crazy and she could, she would be perfectly happy spending all of her time in Lena’s arms, pressed contentedly against her. 

After a minute, Lena pulled back just enough to speak. Dryly, yet jokingly she asked, “Did I seriously have to get _poisoned_ for you to kiss me?”

“Really, Lena?” Kara opened her eyes just long enough to roll them before she kissed Lena again. Lena was honestly unbelievable sometimes. Although, however crass she may be, Lena did just give Kara her new favorite thing to do.

“Don’t worry, now I have an idea,” Lena mumbled against Kara’s lips, “I bet I could make a device that detects poison in substances. Like, my stupid coffee.”

“Obviously you could, you’re _Lena_. You’re the smartest person in the city,” Kara responded like that should be clear before closing the tiny gap again. That kiss lasted what Kara was sure was a few minutes before Kara pulled all the way back. Determined, she ignored Lena’s attempt to pull her back and she said, “I asked J’onn and Alex to cover for me today. I’m gonna make us some tea, and then we’re gonna talk about everything, no interruptions. Deal?”

Lena hummed, her eyes still trained on Kara’s lips like she weren’t entirely sure it had really happened, still. “Deal,” She repeated in confirmation, and with that said, she let Kara go and fell back into her bed. “Maybe tea won’t be as deadly as coffee, today.”

Kara shot her a look. “Lena, come _on_ ,” She said in absolute horror that Lena found this whole situation so joke-worthy. ”We just talked about this.”

“Just because I might be _slightly_ more dedicated to avoiding death because of you doesn’t mean I’m going to stop being pessimistic.”

“Whatever, whatever,” Kara said, still nearly insulted, “I’ll be back.”

—

“Lena,” Kara called to the bedroom, “Tea’s done, do you want me to come in there, or—“

“Living room,” Lena instructed in return, at a normal volume but luckily Kara did happen to have super hearing, “Where we played that silly board game.” 

Kara made a mental note to tell Lena that Clue is _not_ silly when Lena was better. For now, she just called _okay!_ to Lena, and turned on her heel to take the tray to the living room. She set the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch and as she was about to pour some tea into two cups, she heard Lena cuss under her breath from the bedroom.

In an instant, Kara was standing in the doorway to Lena’s bedroom and judging by the way Lena jumped, she wasn’t expecting Kara to suddenly be there. “God,” Lena huffed, her hand over her heart as she looked at Kara in the doorway, “You’re...Speedy.”

Kara gave a grin. “Sorry,” She apologized before stepping further into the room. For a second, she just looked at Lena still on her bed, and she finally asked, “Are you okay? I heard you, uh... You sounded kinda irritated.”

Lena looked undoubtedly confused for a split second before realization crossed her face. “I have to get used to knowing an alien,” She told Kara jokingly, “I’m not used to people hearing me whisper from an entirely different room, but here we are.”

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Kara admitted with a sheepish laugh. “But... Really, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Lena said, though the fact she said it through grit teeth as she got up from her bed to make her point said otherwise. “Like I said earlier...Just feel like I got hit by a truck and then backed over, but you know, that’s life.”

Kara frowned. And then, when Lena took a step forward only to raise her hand to her head and rub her temples, Kara swooped in. With a bit of a grin at Lena’s protesting squeak, Kara quite literally swept Lena off her feet. Lena’s arms immediately wrapped around Kara’s neck like she were afraid Kara was going to drop her.

“ _Jesus_ , Kara, I only got _poisoned_ , I can still _walk_ ,” Lena scolded with wide eyes, “Put me down.” 

“Nope,” Kara said, “I told you, I’m taking care of you. Can’t stop me.” With that said, she marched on to the living room while holding Lena like she was the most precious cargo in the world, all while Lena looked borderline offended.

Kara set Lena down gently on the couch and Lena immediately rolled her eyes nearly into her head. “Kara, I’m fine,” She insisted again, “You don’t need to _take care of me_.”

Not one to give in, Kara flashed Lena her infamous puppy eyes as she sat next to her. 

Lena only scoffed. Kara smiled and went to work filling each of them a cup of tea since she had been interrupted before, and she could feel Lena’s eyes on her the whole time. When she finished, she handed Lena her cup and sat back with her own.

“That said...” Lena trailed from her previous insistence that Kara didn’t need to take care of her. She tapped the sides of her steaming tea cup as her eyes flickered away from Kara’s eyes and back up. “Your strength is... Impressive.”

“ _Just_ impressive?” Kara asked with a laugh as Lena pursed her lips and shoved Kara’s shoulder. “Careful with the tea, it’s hot.”

“So is how strong you are,” Lena muttered so quietly a human wouldn’t have caught the words, but Kara did and nearly choked on her own tea. She looked at Lena like a deer in headlights, who just gave her a smirk somewhere between satisfied and cocky.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Kara said quickly, “So... We have a lot to talk about.” 

Lena took a slow, careful sip of her tea while she thought. “We do,” She agreed finally, her thumb rubbing on the side of her cup nervously. Finally, she got that playful smirk back and she questioned, “You’re Supergirl, huh, Miss Danvers?” 

There it was, the elephant in the room. The elephant in the room that had been following them for quite some time now. “I’m Supergirl,” Kara replied quietly in confirmation, her own heart thudding loudly at the simple admission. 

A heavy sigh came from Lena as she nodded, looking relieved about hearing the words from Kara herself. 

“Can I...?” Lena trailed, her eyes locked on Kara’s glasses, and Kara took the hint and gave a jerky nod. With some hesitation, Lena leaned forward to set her cup on the table before she leaned back and turned her body towards Kara. Her shaky fingers rested on Kara’s jawline for the briefest second and Kara wished she could kiss her again, suddenly. Within a few seconds, Lena was once again sliding Kara’s glasses off, and Kara took a breath before undoing her bun and moving to unbutton her shirt.

Kara gave a small tug to either side of her shirt and the snaps came undone one by one until the House of El symbol was visible underneath. She grew somehow even more nervous as she heard Lena’s heart skip a beat when she saw the famous symbol. The silence felt somehow deafening, right then.

Lena seemed to be taking her time admiring Kara in front of her— Her piercing eyes raked from Kara’s eyes to the waves of golden hair falling down her shoulders, to the symbol on her chest and the unbuttoned shirt and coat still hanging on her shoulders. 

“Who would have ever imagined cute, nervous Kara Danvers is a superhero?” Lena chuckled lightly, her gaze locked on the symbol.

“My name is Kara Zor-El,” Kara blurted and Lena’s eyes snapped up to meet her own. Lena’s eyebrow raised curiously. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Kara nodded as if to confirm her own words. “It’s my real name, anyway.”

“Kara Zor-El,” Lena repeated breathlessly as her eyes flashed back to the famous symbol on Kara’s chest and then back up to Kara’s eyes. Her fingers twitched, a silent question, and when Kara gave a nod, Lena reached to push the sides of Kara’s shirt and coat further to the side. Her fingertips ran softly across the lines of the emblem as she thought out loud, “My brother told me this symbol is for the House of El. That’s your family?”

“Yeah,” Kara confirmed, a part of her hoping Lena couldn’t feel how her heart was pounding under that very symbol, “It’s—It’s my family’s coat of arms. It means _el mayarah_. Stronger together.”

For whatever reason, the words seemed to bring a smile to Lena. She had a look of adoration on her face as she drew her hands away and said, “Well, it’s nice to meet you _Kara Zor-El._ ”

Something about Lena calling her by her true name felt _right_. Kara couldn’t help the feeling of love that swept through her heart right then. She laughed lightly, breaking eye contact with Lena to shrug and shake her head, because honestly, she couldn’t find the words she wanted to say. They were supposed to be talking about everything, and yet, Kara felt entirely speechless.

When Kara finally did find something to say, it was an apology. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” She said, watching Lena closely to try and gauge her reaction, “I’m... Kinda disappointed in myself that I wasn’t the one to tell you.” 

But, Lena shook her head. “Don’t be silly,” She assures Kara immediately, “You don’t have to be sorry. It’s _your_ secret, it’s within your right to tell who you want and keep it from who you don’t.”

“I wanted you to know,” Kara blurted instantly and Lena chewed her bottom lip in response. “I’m glad you know,” She added, and then she questioned, “...Uh...How did you find out, anyway?”

Which drew a smile and a laugh from Lena. “God, it’s not like you’re very good at hiding it,” She said and ignored the offended look that crossed Kara, “I mean, I knew something was strange about you the second you walked into my office, Kara. Not to mention, your whole disguise is a pair of glasses.” To prove her point, she picked up Kara’s glasses from where they had laid in her lap and waved them.

“Obviously it works, though!” Kara defended herself, crossing her arms across the House of El symbol as she huffed, “It’s not like everyone I meet figures it out!”

“...Speaking of, Sam figured it out.”

Kara gaped at Lena. “What?!” She practically exclaimed, before she buried her face in her hands and groaned to herself. “You’re kidding. Right? You’re joking?” That was absolutely ridiculous if even _Sam_ had figured her secret out so quickly, and with so little time of even being around Kara.

“No, I’m serious.” Lena laughed. “But, to answer your question... I don’t know how I figured it out, really. You were with me, as Supergirl, and it just... Hit me. It was so clear. Look, Kara,” Lena’s voice took on a tone that held such unintentional astonishment it drew Kara’s eyes back to her. Her eyes were sparkling as she shook her head and went on, “You’re _wonderful_ , it’s...You’re so good and so pure, and honestly, you being a Superhero fits so well it’s the only explanation of _you_. I think a part of me knew that from day one.”

“...You really think I’m all that?” Kara asked with an unbelieving chuckle.

Lena murmured _obviously_ under her breath so quietly Kara wouldn’t have heard it without her super hearing, before she smiled widely at Kara again. “I told you I’d figure you out, Kara,” She said with some hint of pride in her tone, “On your first day, I told you I would.”

That was something Kara had forgotten about until then, but Lena was right. The memory made Kara drop her head and raise her hands in defeat. “Rao, you did, didn’t you? Yeah, I remember...I shouldn’t have doubted Lena Luthor,” Kara reminisced, smiling, “You’re too smart.”

“I am. Don’t you forget it.” Lena’s voice was all business, though her smile hadn’t faded and that gave her teasing away. Kara nudged her shoulder gently, shaking her head as she laughed at Lena, and she tried not to think too much about how happy Lena looked watching her laugh.

Kara’s next question was asked with hesitance, “So, you’re not... Mad at me?”

Admittedly, she was a little worried about what Lena’s answer would be. Even if Lena seemed anything but angry with her, that had been her biggest fear after learning Lena knew her secret, and that anxiety was still lurking behind her. 

Thankfully, Lena’s hand found hers in lieu of a response. Kara took it gratefully, intertwining her fingers with Lena’s and releasing the breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

“No,” Lena assured her softly, and then gave a nervous shrug, “For a...Bit, I was sort of suspicious, I guess. That you... I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Kara was rather sure she did know what Lena meant.

“But, I mean, I’m hoping that’s not it,” Lena said and gave Kara a hopeful glance, to which Kara immediately gave a hurried nod, “And...Um...”

“What is it?” Kara asked, gently prodding Lena to keep saying whatever she wanted to say, because she looked hesitant. But Kara wanted to hear it all—Even if Lena wanted to yell at her, she would listen.

“I have to ask. Would you have told me eventually?” Lena asked hurriedly, like she didn’t want to know the answer, like she thought she knew what the answer would be and didn’t like it. “I—I know it’s your secret, you don’t _have_ to tell anybody, but—“

“Lena,” Kara interrupted, squeezing her hand. She was a bad influence on Lena Luthor, Kara thought with a smile, since she wasn’t sure Lena had been so keen to rambling around anyone else. When Lena’s nervous gaze met hers, Kara told her with all the honesty in the world, “I would have told you. I don’t know when, or how, but I would have. You mean a lot more to me than you think you do, you know?”

Lena seemed to take this in and though she didn’t say anything in response, the look on her face was enough for Kara to see her appreciation. Forcing on a joking tone, Lena asked, “And, to be clear, you’re not just a Super trying to get info on a Luthor or trying to take me down or anything?” Despite the joking tone, Kara wasn’t oblivious to the very real fear behind the question.

“Rao, no,” Kara assured her gently, making absolute sure Lena’s eyes were locked with hers as she said it. She needed Lena to know she never wanted to hurt her. Especially considering Lena’s family and people who have been around her before, Kara needed Lena to know she wasn’t like them. “It’s never been like that and it won’t ever be. I promise.”

It took several painfully long moments, but Lena eventually nodded and said simply, “Okay.” She sat up straighter, smiled, and squeezed Kara’s hand. With much more confidence, she went on, “You’re really difficult to doubt, you know that?”

“What can I say? I’m charming,” Kara joked purely instinctively and, thankfully, it drew a laugh from Lena. “So...We’re all good?” Kara asked, hope filling her heart, “In the, uh... Supergirl category, at least?”

Lena’s thumb rubbed over Kara’s as she offered a soft smile. “We’re good in that _category_ , as you put it,” She said in confirmation before she bit her lip nervously and edged, “...And the other _categories?_ ”

Which, Kara was intelligent enough to know exactly what Lena was hinting at. All too suddenly, Kara was filled with nerves yet again, but thankfully that hopeful feeling she had remained on top of it. With some sort of surge of confidence, Kara said point-blank, “We kissed.” 

“We did.”

The way Lena had then taken to nervously fiddling with Kara’s fingers made Kara want to kiss her all over again, even if only to calm her down.

“I really liked it,” Kara said as bluntly as she could, ignoring her self-conscious telling her Lena would probably think she was bad, or gross, or—something. After all, there were _so_ many reasons they _shouldn’t_ be like that—and yet Kara could only focus on the one reason they should, and that reason was that she really loved Lena.

To her relief, Lena said without any hesitation, “I really like _you_ , Kara.” She frowned, then, which shot a spike of worry through Kara, and then Lena added with much less sureness in her voice, “But, I mean, there’s so many reasons why that’s a problem, right?”

If Kara were to be entirely honest, she might call the expression she currently had at Lena a pout. She said, “I think that’s literally the farthest thing from a problem since this all would have probably been pretty weird if you didn’t like me, too.”

Lena smacked Kara’s shoulder lightly as she grumbled, “You know what I mean.”

Kara raised an eyebrow like she always noticed Lena doing. She did know what Lena meant, but she wanted to hear it from her.

With a huff, Lena shook her head. “I _mean_ , I’m your boss, Kara,” She explained like it should have been entirely obvious to Kara as her face went a little red, “It’s inappropriate.”

“Like that’s never happened before,” Kara said jokingly. “Lena, I’m pretty sure we’re not the only boss-employee who’s ever got feelings for each other, you know. Plus, you’re my friend, not just my boss.” 

“I’m also a Luthor,” Lena added with a particularly gravelly tone to her voice as she eyed Kara carefully, “I’ve seen how your sister reacted to you even _working_ for me, God knows how she or your...Cousin would react to...More than that.” 

“Alex is actually the one who told me to go for it and kiss you, basically,” Kara argued with a pointed smile and Lena’s eyebrows rose. That clearly took her by as much surprise as it had Kara. “And if Alex came around _he_ won’t be difficult. You said yourself he’s just an overgrown boy scout.” 

There was honestly no doubt to Kara that Kal would be skeptical of Lena, she couldn’t argue that. But she was just as sure that Kal could come around, even if only to make Kara happy. They were cousins, after all.

But Lena was clearly very determined. “I also happen to get a lot of press,” She told Kara as if Kara didn’t see Lena’s face on news and gossip websites every week, “Which means that’s going to affect you, too, the more you’re around me. It’s difficult keeping my personal life a secret. There’s also the fact I’m apparently nearly assassinated every month.”

With an almost amused smile Kara asked, “Are you just trying to scare me away?”

“Is it working?”

“We did just establish I’m a superhero, right? That means I’m a pretty determined person,” Kara told her with a laugh and then she added more firmly, “Lena. I want to be with you. I _want_ to be able to call _Superman_ and tell him Lena Luthor is everything to me.”

Lena lowered her head like she didn’t want Kara to notice the red in her cheeks or the little smile she had, but Kara noticed, and it fueled her to say everything she wanted to say.

“Lena, you said you really like me, right?” She asked firmly, and tried to keep eye contact with Lena despite the fact she was trying to keep her eyes down rather than look at Kara’s. Lena did nod, though, slowly, and Kara went for it, “Go on a date with me. I don’t care that you’re my boss, I especially don’t care what your last name is. What do you say?” 

Kara was more nervous than she would like to admit. 

Hesitantly, Lena looked up and into Kara’s eyes. “You like me, too? Like _that_?” She questioned for clarification, like she wasn’t sure she should actually believe Kara, and Kara’s immediate response was to set her hand on Lena’s knee comfortingly.

“ _I’m_ the one who kissed _you_ ,” Kara reminded her lightly and Lena gave a breathy laugh. If Kara hadn’t known just how pessimistic Lena Luthor was, she would have been baffled by Lena being so unsure that Kara wanted to be with her. To Kara, it felt like the most obvious thing in the world. It felt like she was practically screaming her love for Lena every time she was with her, it was so obvious. But since Lena apparently didn’t think it was so clear, Kara spoke more quietly and said with complete seriousness, “You want me to be honest? Like, totally, way way way 100% honest?”

Lena nodded slowly, giving Kara a careful stare. Kara was sure Lena was probably readying herself to hear Kara turn around and say none of this was real, even though Kara was sure at this point Lena should know exactly what Kara wanted to say.

Kara took a breath, steeling herself for however Lena may react to her. She was an honest person, and Lena seemed like she needed all the assurance she could get anyway, so Kara told her, “I love you. In a lot of different ways, I do. And...I don’t think I’ve ever been so sure about anything.”

It didn’t seem like Lena had a clue how to react. Her eyes were slightly wide, her mouth hanging just barely open, her fingers twitched like she was trying to refrain from fidgeting like she tended to do. It looked like she was at war with herself, when Kara looked into her eyes. Like she wanted to believe Kara but couldn’t.

“O-Oh,” Lena stuttered and Kara couldn’t help but smile at her.

So, Kara went for the final question, “So? Will you?”

“Huh?” Lena asked dumbly, like she was so caught up on Kara’s words that she forgot she had a question to answer. She was still looking at Kara with that somewhat glazed over expression and it didn’t seem she had any intention of remembering exactly what Kara was talking about after the spiel she had just heard.

Kara repeated her question, “I mean, will you let me take you on a date?” Her head tilting to the side as she gave a short laugh, she added, “I’ll say please if it helps. I just really want to.”

Just before Kara had time to panic over _what if Lena does say no_ — Lena nodded quickly. Seeming to realize how eager her nod was, she gave a sheepish smile and said instead, “How could I say no after that? You have a way with words.”

Relief flooded Kara immediately. The confident act she had fell away quickly as she took a comical deep breath and laughed. “Thank Rao, I was worried for a second, not gonna lie,” She told Lena, who was smiling softly still, and then Kara told her more quietly, “I meant everything I said, just so you know. You...Jeez, Lena. You’re just...”

“Pretty great?” Lena supplied sarcastically but Kara nodded and she laughed. 

“You know what’s pretty great? The fact I’m gonna go on a date with _Lena Luthor_.” Kara joked, but honestly it wasn’t a joke. She was _very_ excited by the promise of a date with _Lena_. Whether she took it jokingly or not, Lena’s face flushed red again and like it would keep Kara from noticing how nervous she was, Lena leaned forward and kissed her again.

Which, Kara was certainly not opposed to. 

Kara kissed Lena back with fervor, this kiss feeling much less careful than the first, and nearly as quickly as Kara went to deepen it, it had to end.

Kara and Lena both jumped away from one another as the door to Lena’s apartment swung open _loudly_ , thudding against the wall. Kara watched as Lena lifted a hand to her heart as if the gesture would calm it’s suddenly erratic beat and it was clear Lena had no idea what was happening. Kara wasn’t sure either, but the answer came only a millisecond later right as Kara was scooting away to put some distance between her and Lena.

“Lena?” 

It was Sam’s voice calling out and directly after she said it, she and Ruby both came rushing into the living room. The look of Sam’s face was one of sheer and utter worry and panic, and the look on Ruby’s was concerned and perhaps not fully understanding of what was happening. The second Sam’s gaze landed on Lena next to Kara, her facial features visibly relaxed and she released a deep breath. 

Before Kara could even blink, Sam was next to her, her arms around Lena. Lena hugged her back after she gave a surprised little grunt at the sudden embrace. “Nice to see you, too,” Lena said sarcastically, though it was meant well and Kara could see the genuine relief on her face to have Sam there.

“Alex called me saying that you—“ Sam stopped like she hadn’t quite meant to say that, or she didn’t know what exactly _to_ say. Eventually she seemed to settle on, “Are you okay?”

“Lucky for me, Kara’s very good at saving people,” Lena mumbled into Sam’s shoulder before she tapped Sam’s back and said, “You’re going to break my ribs.” Immediately, Sam let go of her with an apology and Lena smiled at her in amusement.

Just as Sam was about to inquire further, Ruby spoke up with utter confusion. “What’s going on?” She asked and all three women’s eyes trained on her, “Mom just, like, flipped out and didn’t say why.”

Sam’s face looked a little red. She looked back at Kara and Lena and she explained sheepishly, “I...Kind of did _flip out_. I got Alex’s call and rushed over without another word.” With that explained, she turned back to Ruby seemingly with the intent to explain, but Lena spoke first.

“Don’t worry about it, Ruby,” Lena said easily with that, nearly scary, calmness she sometimes had as she lied, “I just got a little sick. I’m fine now.” Kara looked at her with some confusion, but Lena just kept that cool calmness and smiled to punctuate her story. 

“Yeah,” Sam followed up slowly, eyes focused entirely on Lena, but eventually she said with a bit more confidence, “Yeah. It’s all right, sweetie. I overreacted, sort of.”

“Oh,” Ruby said, and Kara thought she didn’t look entirely convinced, “Gotcha. So you’re okay, Aunt Lena?” 

Lena smiled and nodded. She hummed, then, her lips pursed, and she pointed in the direction of the kitchen. “Why don’t you go get some ice cream?” She offered to Ruby, and Kara was sure it was mostly an excuse to get Ruby out of the room and away from questioning Lena’s wellbeing, “I didn’t know what flavor you liked so I bought every flavor.”

“Are you serious?” Ruby asked immediately, the previous concern and confusion seeming to have already faded drastically at the promise of ice cream. The strategy worked. At Lena’s nod, Ruby’s eyes went almost comically wide and a big smile came on her face before she rushed out of the room, headed for the kitchen. A moment later Kara heard the freezer open and Ruby mumbled happily, “Oh my _God_.” It made Kara smile to herself a little.

The feeling of amusement left rather quickly, though, as Lena explained quietly, “I’d rather her not be worried about the fact someone’s trying to quite literally murder me.” Kara watched, then, as Lena’s eyes met Sam’s and she said, “We have to talk about this, by the way.”

Sam pursed her lips, but nodded.

Lena looked back at Kara and with some regret in her tone she asked, “Kara, I’ll see you later?” Which meant it was time for Kara to leave. Lena had a look in her eye like she felt bad for asking Kara to go, but Kara set her hand on Lena’s shoulder and smiled.

“I’ll be back tonight with donuts,” Kara told her, “I’ll get your favorite flavor. And, if I catch you working at all today, I _swear_ —“

“I won’t,” Lena laughed, and then quieter she said, “Maybe.” 

Sam cut in with a teasing, “I’ll keep an eye on her.” After Lena rolled her eyes and Kara laughed, Sam offered, “I’ll walk you out, Kara.” It took Kara by surprise for a second, but still, she smiled and nodded. With that, Kara started to walk for the front door with Sam following closely behind her. Kara opened the door and, to further her surprise, Sam stopped her.

Quietly, Sam questioned when Kara’s eyes trained on her, “You saved her?” Her gaze flitted in the direction of the living room as if it wasn’t already obvious what she meant.

“I just got her to Alex. Alex’s the one who really saved her,” Kara told Sam because, really, without Alex, Kara would have been helpless in saving Lena.

“But she wouldn’t have made it if you hadn’t been so quick. Alex said that.”

Slowly, Kara nodded. “Yeah, I…I guess so,” She admitted but, in reality, she didn’t feel like she had really saved Lena. She felt that Lena shouldn’t have even been poisoned in the first place with Kara around. But she had failed to realize something was wrong and Lena almost died.

Clearly, Sam thought otherwise. Kara’s eyes went wide with slight surprise as Sam pulled her into an almost bone-crushing hug like she had super strength herself. Taken aback, it took Kara a few seconds before she was able to will herself to hug Sam in return, despite her questioning thoughts of why Sam nearly crushed her ribs. 

Like she realized Kara was confused, Sam pulled back and stepped a foot away out of Kara’s space. “Thank you for saving her,” Sam mumbled in explanation, “Lena’s my best friend.”

Softly, Kara smiled. “I’ll always save her,” Kara said and, by Rao, she meant it. She was always going to fight for Lena Luthor. Then, she added, “I’m really glad she has a friend like you.” Sam’s concern and care for Lena was so genuine that Kara truly found herself thankful that Lena had met her, especially when that was so rare in Lena’s life before. 

The smile Sam had was appreciative. It seemed like she wasn’t sure how to respond, though, so Kara told her a friendly goodbye and showed herself out the door. It was relieving, honestly, to know that when Kara wasn’t around, Sam would be. Sam _and_ Ruby. 

Kara left Lena’s penthouse feeling strangely happy.

—

Lena had, quite frankly, been on the verge of having a complete meltdown since the second Kara kissed her. It all seemed too good to be true—Kara Danvers, Supergirl, _kissing_ her? Being _interested_ in her in that way? That alone seemed more like a dream Lena would have and then wake up feeling disappointed it wasn’t a reality. But, to even further her disbelief, the extent to which Kara claimed to feel for her was…Surprising, to say the least.

Truly, what a day it had been. Poisoned, then kissed by a superhero. Lena didn’t think most people’s lives went quite like hers, but she certainly wasn’t complaining about the second part. The first part she could live without. 

Sam came wandering back into the living room a few minutes after showing Kara out and she had that worried look still etched into her features. She silently lowered herself onto the couch next to Lena and when she tentatively looked over to her, Lena decided to try and lighten the situation a bit.

“So, Alex is how you heard about this situation?” Lena asked with a raised eyebrow and, successfully, Sam’s face went from worried to embarrassed in a half a second, “As your friend, I think I’m entitled to hear all about you and Alex. Well, without _too_ many details, please.” As much as she wanted to hear about Sam and Alex, she did not need to hear about their night together in any more detail than PG.

Sam looked horrified at the suggestion she would even try to tell Lena every detail. Then, to try and get the spotlight off of her she said, “I think we have more important things to talk about—“

But Lena countered with a pleading look, “Sam, I escaped death today. I’m tired of serious conversations. I just want to hear you talk about the cute girl you met at a bar, even if the cute girl is Kara’s sister and sort of hates me.”

Sam pursed her lips tightly. There was nothing but silence for the better part of a minute, Sam trying to worm her way out of it, but finally she broke and said, “I…I think something could come out of this.” When Lena made a motion for her to keep going, Sam relented with, “I was talking to her the whole night, at the bar and…I don’t know, she’s just…And I…” She made a frustrated noise like she wasn’t entirely sure how to describe her feelings.

Lena could relate, in that sense. Kara made her feel very…Wow.

“We…You know,” Sam’s face went comically red at the mention of _you know_ and she pressed on before Lena could laugh at her, “Then I asked her to go on a date with me. Tomorrow, actually. She said yes. That’s good, right?” 

Lena couldn’t help but smile at Sam. “Yes, that’s good,” She agreed and Sam seemed to visibly relax at the confirmation that it was, indeed, a good thing. 

“And, um…I don’t think me having a kid scares her. Or makes her think I’m…I don’t know. I was talking about Ruby, at the bar, and she didn’t look like she was judging me about it like people always do. They always get this _look_. She didn’t. She just asked me about Ruby and listened to me talk.” 

If Lena didn’t like Alex, this at least scored her some points. If Alex was good for Sam, then Lena would welcome her into the family with open arms (even if Alex wouldn’t do the same sort of thing for her initially). 

“That’s great, Sam,” Lena told her genuinely and Sam nodded in embarrassment. Sam always got sheepish with topics like this and, really, Lena sort of adored it. 

“ _Anyway_ ,” Sam said hurriedly in an attempt to get the topic away from her love life, “That’s enough about me. We need to talk about you.” She looked at Lena expectantly, the color in her cheeks slowly going back to normal at the topic change, and Lena thought for a moment.

Of course, she knew what Sam meant. She meant for Lena to talk about the poisoning, to tell her exactly what had happened (or as much of it as she herself remembered). But instead, Lena said as nonchalantly as possible, “Kara and I kissed.” 

Clearly, Sam was expecting just about anything else. Her eyes instantly went wide, she sat up straighter, and with a high voice she asked in disbelief, _”What?”_

Lena gave a nervous smile and decided to spill all of her bottled up feelings to Sam.

—

Four boxes of donuts rested precariously on one hand and her hip, Kara used her other hand to knock on Lena’s door. She couldn’t resist the smile she had at even the thought of seeing Lena when she opened the door—Lena had that effect on her and Kara had accepted she was not going to get over it anytime soon. There was enough time between her knocking and the door being answered for Kara to adjust her hold on the donuts so she wouldn’t drop all of them embarrassingly.

When the door did open, Kara was prepared to tell Lena some cheeky comment, but stopped herself when she saw it was _Sam_. Sam, who looked strangely confused the second she saw it was Kara at the door. Regardless of the odd look, Sam stepped aside and ushered Kara into the penthouse.

“Hi, Sam!” Kara greeted happily as she came inside and Sam shut the door behind them, but not after she had peered into the hallway like she was looking for something. “I brought enough donuts for everyone. Well, I think. I have a really big appetite. Plus, Ruby’s probably stuffed with all that ice cream Lena bought. So, _maybe_ there’s enough.”

But Sam still looked confused and nearly worried. Deflating slightly, Kara tilted her head to the side and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Where’s Lena?” Sam asked immediately and the words made Kara’s stomach drop.

“What do you mean?” Kara asked, setting the boxes down so she could properly have this conversation, “She should be here.” Lena was in her penthouse, with Sam, _here_. Lena should be _here_. “Is this a joke?” Kara asked, but surely enough, she couldn’t hear Lena’s heartbeat or voice or _anything_ in the penthouse.

If Sam had looked worried before, Kara didn’t know what to call her now. “Lena said she was with you,” She told Kara and Kara could hear _Sam’s_ heartbeat thudding a bit frantically, “I—I thought she was with you, she’s not?”

Regrettably, Kara told Sam, “I haven’t seen her since I left earlier. Or talked to her.” 

“Okay,” Sam said, her voice pitched slightly higher than normal, as she nodded a bit jerkily, “Okay. She’s not with you. I don’t know where she is. She could be anywhere. What if she— Oh, no.”

Sam was obviously on the verge of panicking over Lena’s whereabouts. Kara was, too—Her stomach felt like it was in knots and her thoughts were racing a mile per second—but even so, she forced on a smile and gave a convincing laugh. Sam looked at her questioningly, and Kara said, “She probably went to work. You know Lena.” She wanted to calm Sam down. “I’m sure that’s all it is.”

Apparently Kara’s acting skills were better than Alex made them out to be, because a moment later, Sam nodded and gave a little smile, though it was strained. “You’re right,” Sam agreed hesitantly and repeated Kara’s words, “She probably went to work.”

“I’ll go to L-Corp and get her,” Kara said, still forcing herself to sound lighthearted. The last thing Lena would want right then was for Sam to be panicked, because then Sam would be panicked _and_ Ruby would be worried because her Mom very clearly is concerned about Lena. 

“Okay,” Sam said as Kara walked back to the door. Her heartbeat had slowed down significantly, and Kara mentally cheered. 

“Save some donuts for me and Lena,” Kara told Sam when she was halfway out the door, “Lena’s favorite are the strawberry ones. See you, Sam!” And with that cheerful goodbye, Kara shut the door and immediately went into panic mode. Lena _better_ be at L-Corp or else Kara was going to lose her mind. 

Kara jumped from the first window she found and took off towards L-Corp.

—

Lena ignored the paranoid feeling she had as she entered her dark office. It was ridiculous, she told herself, to be feeling paranoid over the incident of that morning. The poisoning had not been anywhere near the _first_ time she had been nearly killed, nearly _assassinated_ , and letting herself be afraid would not prevent it from happening again. She then had to try and convince herself that Kara not being here definitely _wasn’t_ making that slight paranoia worse. Because _frankly_ if she _were_ to almost die again now, Kara wasn’t here to save her.

With an only slightly trembling hand Lena turned on the lights and, at least, the lights being on cured her fear somewhat. At least when she could see she knew there wasn’t a man hiding in the shadows with a knife or a gun. 

_You’re being stupid,_ Lena thought to herself and, with that final thought, she forced herself to ignore her feelings and do what she came here to do. She crossed her office to the filing cabinet and kneeled down to open the bottom drawer. With a certain file in mind she flipped through the lot of them and, just as she was about to get irritated, she found it and took it out.

Lena walked over to her desk with the file in hand and opened it the second she set it down. With a deep breath, she opened it and started flipping through. What she was looking for turned up near the end of the pages and the moment she saw it she understood quite well what had all happened. She was a smart woman, after all. 

On the page was a prototype of dissolving bullets that had been presented to LuthorCorp by a company called ThunderCorp. 

Which, all made _perfect_ sense.

When Kara got to L-Corp she saw the light in Lena’s office was turned on. That was enough to make relief flood her system and she was sure that until now she had been on the verge of a heart attack. And, sure enough, when Kara touched down on Lena’s balcony, the first thing she saw was Lena standing behind her desk. Kara grabbed the handle on the door to Lena’s office, which was still unlocked from earlier that morning, and let herself inside. Lena visibly jumped at the sudden noise, turning around as quick as lightning with wide eyes. 

Lena relaxed as she saw it was only Kara and she said _something_ that Kara didn’t hear before Kara immediately pulled her into a tight hug. Whatever Lena had been saying trailed off as she hesitantly patted Kara’s back like she wasn’t sure _why_ this was happening. Kara let go of her and said firmly, “Lena, you scared the life out of me and Sam.”

Guilt flashed across Lena’s features and she tried, “I’m sorry—“

But Kara wasn’t finished by a long shot. “You can’t—After—Okay…” Kara took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts, “I’m sorry, but why would you lie to Sam to go to _work_ after nearly being _killed_ this morning? I showed up at your house, without you, and I’m sure Sam currently thinks you’re dead somewhere, and I thought you—“

“Kara,” Lena tried, but Kara was entirely flabbergasted.

“You can’t just do that, Lena, it’s ridiculous. I’m just trying to wrap my mind around why you—“

“I know how Edge got the bullets.” 

_That_ made Kara stop. Her head tilted to the side slightly and she asked, “What?” The difficult part of the case was the bullets that mysteriously disappeared. Judging by the lack of phone calls or alerts from Alex or the DEO, they hadn’t managed to figure out a single thing about the bullets in question or found a way to pin the crime on someone. And now Lena was saying she had figured it out?

Lena looked satisfied she had gotten Kara’s rambling to end. She sighed dramatically for a second before she said, “First, I’m sorry for worrying you both. Now…” She stepped to the side and motioned towards her desk. Kara followed Lena’s motion until her eyes landed on the open papers laying on the sleek white desk and she gave Lena a questioning look. Lena looked at Kara expectantly until Kara got the hint and shuffled forward to look at the papers.

What she had figured was paperwork Lena was working on was a page describing a prototypical _dissolving bullet_. The second Kara read those words she picked the paper up to hold it closer to her eyes like she had read it wrong but, no, it did indeed say those specific words. LuthorCorp was written on the sheet, along with a company Kara didn’t recognize, but the first is what made her blood boil. Was Lena implying her brother had something to do with it? Kara’s thoughts instantly went to when Winn told her to look out for Lena and a flash of guilt zipped through her. 

Kara looked to Lena for an explanation.

“You see LuthorCorp, obviously. But, see the other company?” Lena questioned as she pulled her phone from her pocket and held it out for Kara. Kara took it quizzically and, once she had it, Lena instructed, “Google the other one.” 

So, Kara typed _ThunderCorp_ into the Google search bar. The page loaded with some basic information on the company and Kara scrolled, not quite understanding why Lena was making a point of her googling some company she had never heard of. She saw search results for the location, some blurb of what the company does, an article or two on it, and Kara was about to give up and ask Lena what in _Rao’s_ name she was on about when she saw _it_. 

There was an article about the company. More specifically, a recent article about Morgan Edge buying out ThunderCorp.

Kara looked up from Lena’s phone and let out a long, “Oh.”

Lena nodded as she took her phone back from Kara. 

Hesitantly, Kara asked as she looked back down at the prototype drawings of the bullet, “You think…?”

“That my brother took advantage of Edge’s hatred towards me?” Lena supplied and answered, “Yes.” 

Kara’s gaze drifted back towards Lena as she said apologetically, “Lena…”

But Lena didn’t seem to want to dwell on that. Rather, she crossed her arms and told Kara bluntly, “I need your help.” Kara nodded quickly because of _course_ she would help Lena. Frankly, Kara would do nearly anything to help her. Lena pursed her lips like she were trying to figure out the exact words she wanted to say as she leaned against her desk. Finally, she told Kara, “Tomorrow night, Edge is hosting a gala. He does it the same night every year. Honestly, I’m sure he was planning to celebrate my death along with whatever it is he is celebrating, but oh well. Anyway, I need you to go with me.” 

That, however, didn’t sound particularly good. “Lena, do you really think you should go anywhere near—“ Kara tried but was cut off.

“Trust me, please,” Lena said pleadingly. 

She supposed Lena’s idea couldn’t hurt too much, as long as she was there to keep Lena safe. Plus, knowing Lena, she would do it with or without Kara.

So, Kara hesitantly nodded.

Lena was visibly relieved that Kara agreed. 

—

Kara looked absolutely stunning, and Lena couldn’t help but notice that despite it being hardly important. The black dress she had on was nowhere near as flashy as the one Lena had, and certainly more conservative than Lena’s, but _goodness_ Kara looked delightful. It took Lena a good minute before she was able to clear her throat and take her gaze away from Kara, who didn’t seem to notice Lena’s staring in the first place.

To stop Kara from walking, Lena stopped and put a hand on Kara’s arm. Kara got the hint and she stopped her stride in order to look at Lena with a reassuring smile, and Lena nearly forgot her own seriousness and anger when she accidentally smiled back.

But they had a reason for being here, Lena reminded herself. 

“Where is he?” Kara asked, her eyes leaving Lena to scan the crowd of expensively dressed men and women for Morgan Edge. Her hand had grabbed Lena’s and Lena thought Kara might have done so purely reflexively, but it made her feel a little better nonetheless. She didn’t really understand how Kara had such effects on her.

Bitterly, Lena told her, “Just find the shiniest red dress and you’ll likely find the mouth-breather Edge behind it.” With that said, she scanned the crowd herself in search for that very description of a woman, when Kara gave her hand a squeeze.

“You were close,” Kara told her and pointed, “Shiny red _lipstick_.” Lena followed Kara’s gaze and pointed finger until her eyes landed on none other than Morgan Edge chatting to a woman with, indeed, bright red lipstick painted on her full lips. Even the simple sight of him made Lena bristle, and if the way Kara’s shoulders tensed up said anything, she felt just the same. Of course Lena knew he would be here, that was the reason she and Kara came after all, but even then, it felt like she had just gotten the worst surprise ever.

Her eye landed, next, on the man standing just outside of the party, and her hope deflated.

“I should’ve known about the earpiece,” She told Kara, who looked at the security guard at Lena’s word. Lena knew she was a recognizable face and there was no way that man would _let_ her through, not under Edge’s orders. The plan felt like it was already falling apart.

But Kara, ever the hero, shook her head and said, “I can handle it.” At Lena’s questioning look she added, “I’m...Professionally crafty.” Lena barely had the time to smirk before Kara was headed directly for Edge’s watchdog and, the moment Kara had his attention on her, Lena scurried past both of them as casually as she could appear. When Lena was amongst a small group of people, and so less obvious to anyone who might look her way, she looked back just in time to see Kara elbow the guard in the side and Lena watched in amusement as he fell to the ground. 

Kara hurried to Lena’s side before anyone noticed him on the ground.

“ _Professionally crafty_ you say, Miss Danvers?” Lena questioned in utter amusement as Kara stopped next to her, still looking at the man laying on the pavement. At Lena’s words, Kara looked away from him and to Lena with a sheepish grin. Perhaps tonight had hope yet with Supergirl at her side, Lena decided with a smile to herself.

“Hey, he grabbed me, it’s not my fault he’s now...” Kara waved over to wear he was facedown on the pavement, “You know. He’ll be fine!” 

Lena gave a chuckle before she looked around the party. It took her a moment, but when her eyes landed on exactly what she was looking for, she raised a finger to point it out to Kara. Kara followed her point until she saw what Lena was gesturing to and she gave an understanding nod.

“You got it?” Lena asked with some small worry because _everything_ had to go well tonight.

Reassuringly, Kara shot her that goofy smile of hers. “My part’s pretty small, I think I can manage,” She told Lena as she gave her a gentle shoulder pat and when Lena laughed breathily Kara added seriously, “Be careful, okay?”

Lena nodded.

“Promise?”

“Promise,” Lena told Kara with a smile. Kara’s care for her was always so...Refreshing. It still wasn’t something she was used to and it made Lena feel good. Taking a quick deep breath, Lena said with finality, “Well…Here we go, I suppose.” Kara gave a stiff affirmative nod before she headed in the direction of where Lena had pointed, while Lena headed towards Edge himself.

Edge was talking to the woman with red lipstick with just as much arrogance and self-satisfaction in his tone as always. The woman, poor her, looked genuinely interested in whatever garbage was spewing from his mouth and was looking at him with lidded eyes as she nodded along. The sight nearly made Lena nauseous. How some woman could let herself be fooled by a single word that Edge said was beyond her. Edge was as obvious about being a pig as Kara was obvious about being Supergirl.

Which meant he was _very_ obvious. 

Lena slid into the conversation and smiled at the woman with enough visible hate until she scoffed at Edge and left.

Which meant Edge immediately glared at her. He was clearly not happy to see her, especially since he had been planning on her being dead yesterday, but he still forced on that smirk of his. “Lena Luthor,” He grumbled, “I did tell my security very specifically not to let you in.” 

“Yes, well, I have my connections,” Lena said absently, watching closely as Edge took another drink of his champagne. 

“Is there a reason you’re here or should I have you removed from the premises now?” He asked in a bored tone.

It was time. Lena took a deep breath, quietly so he wouldn’t notice, and she stood up straighter.

“So, here’s what’s going to happen, Edge,” Lena said slowly, firmly, as she smiled sourly at Morgan Edge. He listened, even if only because he figured he would be entertained by whatever _nonsense_ came from her mouth. Despite the arrogant look he sported, Lena put the same type of smug look on herself and told him, “You’re going to confess, right now, that you tried to kill me.”

That certainly seemed to amuse him. He scoffed and asked, “And what reason would I have to confess to something I didn’t do? Though, I can’t say I blame the guy who tried.”

So, Lena gestured to the glass he had been drinking out of not minutes ago and she told him, “You poisoned me, Edge, and two can play at that game. You have five minutes before it affects you and from there you have maybe 10 minutes until you _unfortunately_ die. 10 if you’re lucky, anyway.” It looked like he was registering the words and she added with a pointedly cocky smile as she held up a small bottle of blue liquid, “And I’m the only one with the antidote. So, yes, Edge. I do think you have a reason to tell me what I want to know.” 

For a second, Edge looked like he believed it. But, his arrogance wasn’t going to let him believe it so easily, and he made a _tsk_ noise. “Nice try,” He spoke like Lena was a child playing a terribly thought out prank on him, “But you didn’t poison my drink.”

Lena was perfectly prepared for this. “Really?” She asked with exaggerated confusion before she told him, “Why don’t you look over to the bar?” With a dry chuckle like this was amusing to him, Edge did as Lena said and looked over to where the drinks were being served. Lena looked, too, and had to keep herself from grinning when she saw Kara standing there rather than the worker who _should_ be serving drinks. She looked directly at Edge and smiled that innocent Kara-Sunshine-Danvers smile as she held up a small bottle not entirely unlike the one Lena had. 

The moment Edge believed it, Lena could tell. The fear dawned on Edge’s face, and for once his smirk was gone and replaced with a completely baffled expression. The flabbergasted look switched into one of anger quickly after, though, as he looked back to Lena with wide eyes and his face red. 

“You’re psychotic,” He spat and Lena knew he had taken the bait. 

With the stakes explained to Edge, and him believing her, Lena proceeded to pull the small recorder she had brought from her purse. She held it up pointedly and hit the button, prompting, “Well? Tick tock.” Lena knew Edge was far too fond of himself to take the risk of dying. It was just a matter of getting him to admit defeat.

Edge sputtered, clearly still shocked that Lena dared actually attempt to murder him, and he said harshly, “You and your blonde pet are going to regret this—“

“You know, Edge, you really aren’t smart,” Lena said, promptly cutting him off, which seemed to provoke his anger further. But the fact he hadn’t dared make a scene or go at her meant she was close. She tapped the recorder absentmindedly as she looked at Edge with as much pity as she could muster and said, “You let yourself be manipulated by Lex Luthor. Have you seriously not put it together?”

The hint of confusion within his rage was enough of an answer.

“Your car, you almost being killed. Honestly, it makes perfect sense, now. Lex knew you hate me and _he_ hacked your car because he _knew_ you would think it was me and you would want revenge.” The moment Lena had seen LuthorCorp was involved with the disappearing bullets, she had put that much together. “ _Then_ he reached out to you, didn’t he? And you believed him. Pathetic, really, Morgan.” 

“You know, there’s a reason your own brother wants you dead,” Edge retorted with bite and, truly, it didn’t even bother Lena because she knew it was his last resort because he _knew_ she was right. 

“Yes, he wants me gone. His own sister. Which makes you very bold to assume he won’t kill you just as quickly as he hired you,” Lena countered with just as much ease, “You’re a loose end. He’ll kill you just as quickly as man who helped you.” Then she smiled smugly and said with false cheer, “Just confess and you have a better chance at keeping your life. Granted, you’ll spend the rest of it in prison, but let’s not sweat the details.”

Edge was silent, staring hard at Lena, and Lena knew she was a step away from her victory. Getting Morgan Edge to shut his mouth was a victory in itself, really.

Lena held up the recorder.

Edge’s fists curled tightly, the vein in his temple was visible, and finally he relented. With irritation, anger, and fear all mixed together, he said, “Fine, fine. I did it. I hired that guy to poison you and kill you. I had him shot. I did it. All of it.”

Lena felt like she had been holding a deep breath her entire life and she could finally let it go. She clicked the button on the recorder to stop it’s recording and she said, “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” 

“Give me the antidote,” Edge said coldly, uncurling his fist to raise his palm for Lena to give him what he wanted.

And, now for the fun part. Lena sarcastically let out a long, “Oh.” Then, holding up the bottle, she laughed, “About that, I didn’t poison you, and this isn’t an antidote. It’s water and food coloring. Sorry for not telling you that sooner, but you had something I wanted.” 

There was a long stretch of silence. As the meaning of Lena’s words dawned on Edge, his face twitched and the fire ins eyes grew tenfold.

Before Lena could even flinch, Edge launched himself towards her with a shout of, “ _Give_ me that recorder—“ 

Just before he made contact with Lena, he stopped suddenly like he had hit a wall between them. It took Lena a moment of calming her quickly paced heart and blinking dazedly until she noticed what—well, who—exactly had stopped him—Kara was standing behind him with a furious look on her face as she held his arm painfully behind his back. Well, Supergirl was, anyway. Kara was in her full Supergirl regalia. Edge’s face was contorted with both anger and pain and Lena knew he definitely wasn’t going anywhere, now.

“Hi,” Supergirl greeted her and Lena couldn’t help but chuckle at it before Supergirl asked, “Did you get it?”

“Sure did,” Lena told her, “Told you it would work.”

“Actually, you didn’t tell me much, but yeah! It worked!” Supergirl chirped and then told Edge to stop whining as he cursed particularly loud. Supergirl did have a good point. Lena actually hadn’t told her anything other than where she needed to stand and what she needed to do when Edge looked over. She imagined Supergirl listened with her superhearing as it was happening, though, so at least she wouldn’t have to explain to her later. 

“Um, you got him?” Lena asked Supergirl as Edge struggled against her grip. The Supergirl costume change made sense, now. It would be rather suspicious if Kara were the one holding him so tightly and easily against his will, and they had definitely gained a lot of onlookers. She cleared her throat and said, “I called the police before we got here. They should be here, soon.” 

“Yeah, I got him,” Supergirl confirmed and, as sirens faintly came into earshot in the distance she added, “You called the police before? You were really confident that this would work, Miss Luthor.” But despite the professional and almost scolding tone, Lena could see the emotion in Supergirl’s eyes that seemed to radiate pride. 

Lena gave Supergirl a wink in lieu of a response and even the cursing Morgan Edge couldn’t ruin the airy feeling she had when Supergirl let out her sweet laugh. 

The police arrived minutes later, the red and blue flashes of light and sirens clearly gathering the attention of everyone at the party who hadn’t already been engrossed in the situation. Lena gave a quick statement to one of the cops and, after what felt like a long while, they took Edge from Supergirl. One of the police officers who cuffed Edge after taking him from Supergirl was so heavily invested in telling Supergirl how inspirational she is that she closed the cuffs too tight on Edge’s wrists. He had barked out an insult, but the young officer just rolled her eyes and went back to gawking over Supergirl, who happily indulged her. Lena was understandably very amused by that whole ordeal. Then, Lena gave the recorder to another officer, and as Edge was being taken to a cop car, he turned his words on her.

“You really are stupid if you think this is gonna work, Lena,” He told her harshly as two officers dragged him to the car, “The charges are never gonna stick. I’ll be out again, this isn’t over.”

“Well, you know where to find me,” Lena called after him with a satisfied grin, “My name’s on the building.”

It was then that Kara walked up next to her, now back in the dress and glasses, and her arms were crossed. In amusement, she said, “You really got him to confess, huh?” When Lena nodded, she laughed and shook her head, “You’re something, Lena Luthor.”

Lena turned so she was facing Kara and she teased, “You mean something good by that, I hope.”

With an equally teasing and cheesy tone, Kara assured her, “Definitely a good thing. I’m impressed.”

Lena’s laugh turned accidentally bashful and as she was about to answer, her phone rang. She mumbled an apology to Kara before she fished her cell out of her purse, but when her eyes landed on the contact name, her eyes went wide. She looked up at Kara frantically and she quickly sputtered, “Kara, I have to go. Work, tomorrow—I’ll see you. I—Bye, thank you so much for helping me.”

Kara barely uttered a goodbye before Lena was rushing off and answering her phone. Kara was left standing there awkwardly, confused by Lena’s sudden disappearance, but when she realized it was a _goodbye_ goodbye, she wandered off to find a dark place that she could take off into the air from.

She decided she would ask Lena about it in the morning.

—

A much less poisonous cup of coffee in hand (Kara checked five times on the way up the elevator and once more in the hallway for good measure), Kara opened the door to Lena office and went inside. Lena was seated at her desk and a smile erupted on her face nearly the second she saw Kara and, admittedly, Lena smiling at her boosted Kara’s confidence every time she saw it. Feeling that confidence, Kara marched right up to Lena’s desk and set her coffee down.

“I checked this one, don’t worry,” Kara announced before Lena could make a joke about it and, judging by the expression Lena had, she had definitely been about to. Kara knew Lena well at this point. 

“Well, thank you,” Lena said with a dry chuckle as she picked up the coffee and took a slow sip of it. When she finished, she gave Kara a hesitant look. She set her coffee down, her fingers drumming on the side of the cup nervously, and her mouth opened and closed again like she wanted to say something. 

Kara picked up on that hesitancy quickly and she questioned with hesitancy herself, “Everything okay?”

“Actually,” Lena told her mysteriously, “everything’s more than okay.” Then, Lena appeared to have made a decision and she stood promptly. She started to walk towards her balcony and, when she realized Kara wasn’t following, she looked over her shoulder and told Kara, “Come on. Balcony. We need to talk.”

Questioningly, Kara did as she was told. She followed Lena outside and as Lena leaned against the railing she said only halfway jokingly, “ _We need to talk_ is never a good sign.” Having grown up with Eliza saying that to Alex and her often, Kara _knew_ it was never a good thing. But Lena rolled her eyes at the words and shook her head.

“You’ve said that before and I proved you wrong then,” Lena countered and Kara couldn’t help but bark a laugh. Lena was right, she supposed. Based on Lena’s raised eyebrow, she knew it, too.

“Okay, then what’s up?” Kara questioned as she took to leaning on the railing as well. She scooted closer to Lena as unnoticeably as possible but Lena glanced down at their now-touching elbows and she knew she was caught. She gave Lena a sheepish grin in apology but Lena just stepped even closer to her. 

Slowly, Lena asked, “Do you remember Cat Grant came the other day?”

Considering that was altogether a very memorable day, Kara remembered. First she met the scary Cat Grant, then Lena got poisoned, and then somehow that turned into Kara kissing Lena and landing a date with her. So, yes, Kara did remember. She nodded, unsure of where Lena was headed with the topic of Cat Grant.

Lena nodded back, though much more slowly, and it seemed she was thinking through her next words. When she decided on some, they were, “I’m not positive you remember, but at the bar, I asked you what you would like to do, career-wise. You told me you’d love to be a reporter. You think that’s something you would be good at.”

The horror immediately set in because, no, Kara did not remember that at all. Her secret desire to be a reporter was exactly that—a secret and a desire, not a plausible reality, and she had never dared admit to anybody that she would have liked to be one. Apparently, her horror was evident, because Lena laughed.

“I take it you don’t remember?” 

“Rao, no,” Kara said and sighed loudly, “I’m sorry—“

“No, no,” Lena stopped her quickly, “Listen to me, please.”

So, Kara bit her tongue and listened.

“I talked to Cat Grant, a lot. As I’m sure you know, she runs CatCo WorldWide Media,” Lena resumed and watched Kara with a careful eye like she was trying to see if Kara understood, but Kara was clueless. Lena was starting to lose her confidence, though, and Kara could tell because Lena was fidgeting with her hands and she stuttered on a few words as she went on, “And, I mean, it won’t be right away, you’d have to work for it, still, and I know CatCo isn’t known for it’s hard-hitting journalism, but it’s a step, and even Cat Grant once started at the bottom of the food chain working for the Daily Planet, and—“

“Lena,” Kara interrupted with a laugh, setting her hand on Lena’s, “Take a breath. What are you talking about?”

Lena flashed an apologetic smile before she went for the kill with, “I got you a job as Cat Grant’s assistant, if you want it. Obviously, you’ll still be fetching coffee and salad for a while, but if you impress her enough, you could have a career in journalism in the future.”

Even with superhearing, Kara wasn’t sure she had heard Lena right. So, dumbly, she asked, “What?”

Lena stepped away from the railing and turned so she was facing Kara directly. Clearly all business now, wanting her point to get across, Lena said, “You’re talented, Kara. I apologize for the slight intrusion, but I asked Alex to send me more of your writing—Nothing personal, I promise, just old essays and such—and I forwarded them to Cat Grant, and I talked to her. A lot. If you want it, you have a job at CatCo, and it could be a stepping stone to you being a reporter.”

Kara was undeniably speechless. Lena had done _what?_

Fidgeting again, Lena instructed, “Say something.”

“Are you serious?” Kara managed to blurt out and Lena’s nervousness faded back into satisfaction with herself. Lena nodded eagerly and it was then that every word Lena had just said truly hit Kara. Eyes going wide, unsure of how to react, Kara stuttered, “Lena, I-I can’t just—“

“You can.”

“What about you?” Kara asked, her brain going a mile a minute.

“I’ll find a new assistant. And, I’m assuming we’ve made it clear we want to see each other out of work anyway, so…” Lena stepped forward and looked at Kara firmly, “Kara. I can’t force you to do anything, but this is going to be the start of getting what you want. And, not to pressure you or anything, but if it helps you make the obvious choice I can fire you so that you _need_ a job.” The last part was said as a joke, but Kara didn’t think Lena was joking, not entirely.

Lena got her a job as Cat Grant’s assistant. Kara still wasn’t sure she was hearing or comprehending anything correctly anymore. She sputtered incoherent nonsense as if it was a valid argument, but after a minute she stopped trying to form words.

“So?” Lena asked, “Will you take it?”

Weakly, Kara jokingly argued, “But who will get you your plain black coffee and keep it heated with heat vision?” 

The quip prompted a sharp laugh from Lena, who shook her head. “I’ll live, Kara. But, seriously, do you understand all of this?” She looked at Kara carefully, “Will you take it?” 

“I…Don’t think you’re gonna let me say no even if I wanted to,” Kara joked and the smile on Lena’s face was a confirmation of that.

“I’m taking that as a yes,” Lena chirped happily, clapping her hands together. “I’ll tell Cat as soon as possible, she’s not a very patient woman—“ Lena stopped herself suddenly, looking focused, and she mumbled, “I suppose I shouldn’t say that when I’m trying to get you to work for her.”

With a laugh, Kara pulled Lena so they were facing one another and promptly pulled her in for a hug. Lena let out a surprised gasp—Kara _might_ have hugged her just a _little_ too tight for her lungs to handle—but she did hug Kara back slowly. Lena’s head dropped against Kara’s shoulder, her face turned into Kara’s neck, as Kara loosened her grip with a mumbled apology and chuckle.

Lena was truly the strangest woman Kara had ever met and that was the best thing about her. Kara still wasn’t entirely certain this was a conversation she just had, wasn’t quite sure _Lena Luthor_ believed in her writing so much she used her connections to get her a job under _Cat Grant_. None of it seemed quite real.

“You’re something else, Lena,” Kara told her, still laughing slightly, “We’re gonna have a very detailed conversation about this later, because I’m still not sure what’s going on. Okay?”

“Okay,” Lena agreed, “But, _later_?”

“Later,” Kara confirmed and then said, “I don’t even know what to say right now.”

“Kara?” Lena asked, her voice muffled slightly as she spoke into Kara’s neck. 

“Yeah, Lena?” Kara prompted quietly, shutting her eyes and appreciating how it felt to hold Lena, with the breeze making Lena’s hair brush against her cheek until it tickled and Lena’s hands gripping the back of her shirt. Everything felt right when she was with Lena. Even if Lena was strange and had just thoroughly confused the hell out of Kara.

But everything Lena had just said didn’t compare at all to what she said next.

Lena said it so quietly that Kara almost didn’t catch it, but she did, “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”

Kara’s cheeks hurt, she smiled so widely, and she promptly kissed Lena.


	10. The Photonucleic Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1 year later, 2 years later, 3 years later, 4 years later.

_**Kara:**_ _You better be getting lunch and not working right now!!!_

_**Kara:** Got that Lena?_

_**Kara:**_ _Lena???_

_**Kara:** You’re working aren’t you._

Twenty minutes later, Kara managed to sneak out of CatCo and head to L-Corp with a stop at Noonan’s in between. With a roll of her eyes, Kara stepped into L-Corp’s elevator with the plastic takeout bag clutched firmly in one hand. The elevator opened with its usual cheerful ding and Kara stepped out to hunt down Lena’s assistant in her old office.

With her free hand, Kara knocked lightly on the doorframe and gave an apologetic smile when Lena’s assistant nearly jumped out of her skin.

“It’s just me, Eve,” Kara greeted with a laugh as she entered the office, “sorry for startling you.”

Eve Tessmacher, who had been Lena’s assistant since Kara began working for Cat Grant, was an enigma of a woman. She was blonde and bubbly, bright and perhaps clumsy, and Lena had humorously told Kara of how Eve had all but _fangirled_ over her the first time they met. The _enigma_ part of Eve was that despite the sort of dumb-blonde act she put forth, she sometimes let slip things that took Kara by surprise. The different facts about herself Eve would sometimes say went anywhere from her being a bunny at an amusement park to her attending Yale and having a degree in _something or another_. Kara and Lena both had learned to not be surprised by anything Eve said.

“Miss Danvers, I’m so sorry,” She apologized quickly, her hands waving slightly in her brief panic, “um, Miss Luthor is in her private lab. I can see if she has time to see you?”

Kara knew if she was anybody else, Eve wouldn’t even try to see if Lena would give her work a break for a surprise visit. The first time Lena told Eve to _always_ allow Kara in to see her, Kara had admittedly felt quite special…Even though she was Lena’s girlfriend and she was pretty sure that was in the unspoken fine print of it all.

“That would be great,” Kara said with a smile and Eve went to page Lena. It took about three minutes, but it was finally settled that Lena would be up in as soon as she did just _one_ more thing. Though, knowing Lena, _one_ more thing could turn into _ten_ if she got into the zone. Sometimes, at home, Lena would say she had one more thing to do at _10 P.M._ and yet she would come crawling into bed next to Kara at _5 A.M._ only to get up 30 minutes later.

When Eve finally looked back at Kara, she smiled and told her, “You and Miss Luthor are really something special, Miss Danvers.”

 _That_ made Kara grin widely. “I know,” She said in lieu of a thanks, but before Eve could say anything else she walked forward and set the plastic bag on Eve’s desk. Kara undid the knot that she had tied with the handles and, as Eve looked questioningly, she pulled out a styrofoam container. She promptly slid it in front of Eve and said, “I brought you lunch, too. I don’t need _both_ you and Lena starving all day.”

Eve’s eyes widened and she sputtered, “I—You didn’t have to—“

“I wanted to,” Kara cut her off with a cheerful smile. She really did like Eve and, truthfully, she was glad Eve was Lena’s assistant and not anybody else. Kara was typically rather good at reading people, and despite the strangeness of her, Eve seemed to have a good heart. It was then, as Eve stuttered a bit more, that the elevator dinged and Kara hurriedly said, “Have a great day, Eve! Bye!”

Eve managed a quick, anxiety-riddled goodbye as Kara grabbed the bag and rushed out of Eve’s office just in time to see the one and only Lena Luthor step out of the elevator.

“Lena, hey—“

“Kara,” Lena said with a nearly hushed tone and Kara was surprised to see a look of absolute joy on her girlfriend. Not that Lena was normally _not_ happy by any means, but the grin she had now and the shimmer in her eyes absolutely radiated excitement, and Kara hadn’t quite been expecting it.

So, Kara joked, “I know you like me bringing you lunch but I didn’t know you were _that_ happy about it.” She held up the crinkly plastic bag to make her point as she said, “I brought you salad from Noonan’s, and some unhealthy stuff you’re gonna try because I care about you too much to only let you eat salad.”

Lena shook her head nearly frantically as she grabbed Kara by the arm and headed right back for the elevator. “Food can wait,” She said like it should be obvious and Kara nearly tripped her way inside the elevator. The door closed and Lena’s smile didn’t fade in the slightest as she hit the button to go to her private lab.

Kara looked at her curiously. “We’ve been together for years, Lena. I think you know in my life, food absolutely _can’t_ wait,” She said with a laugh, her tone jokingly offended. Well, only somewhat jokingly. Her stomach was growling rather uncomfortably and she could smell the food she had ordered, the scent of it compelling her to use her superspeed to eat her share in the time the elevator took to go down—Rao, she was hungry. Waiting to eat her lunch wasn’t a part of her plan today.

But Lena didn’t even react to Kara’s lighthearted argument, she simply remained focused on the elevator door as if staring at it would make it go faster. Her fingers drummed on Kara’s arm, clearly ready to drag Kara right out of the elevator as fast as she had dragged her _inside_ , and Kara thought Lena might go absolutely berserk if this elevator didn’t hurry up. Kara was almost concerned for the elevator’s safety if it didn’t hurry.

Finally, after what felt like much too long, the elevator stopped and prompted for Lena’s thumbprint and facial recognition scan. Lena went through the motions probably the fastest she ever had and, when the doors allowed them access, Lena _did_ drag Kara by the arm until they were definitely inside Lena’s lab.

The first thing Kara noticed was that _Brainy_ was there. Brainy—Brainiac 5—was from the future but he had chosen to stay in this present about two months before. He had an extremely high intellect and even Winn sometimes couldn’t keep up with him, but Lena always could, which Kara found quite entertaining. She knew Brainy and Lena were close—they bonded over their shared intellect and something about _boxes_ that neither of them would tell Kara the meaning of—but Kara hadn’t entirely been expecting to see him here. She hadn’t been aware he and Lena even had contact outside of game night or the few times the DEO had requested Lena’s assistance.

Kara lifted her hand now that Lena had let go of her arm and she tried to say, “Hi, Brainy—“

But Lena interrupted her. “We figured it out,” Lena said in an almost hushed tone as she wandered over to Brainy, still looking brightly at Kara. Brainy looked quite proud, too. So, instead of saying what she figured was the thing the two had figured out, Kara just raised both eyebrows to ask Lena explain to her what she meant. “The image inducer,” Lena clarified excitedly when she bought Kara’s fake confusion.

“Lena told me of your endeavors in creating such a device,” Brainy chimed in, his fingers steepled together as he spoke while Lena was practically buzzing beside him, “I suggested I may be able to assist and—“

“Really, without his knowledge from the future, there’s no way we would’ve ever gotten this, Kara—“

“Without my assistance there was still a 98.88% chance you would have—“

“Obviously, but nowhere near this quickly—“

“Okay, okay,” Kara cut in, raising both of her hands to stop Lena and Brainy before the both of them rambled on and on without any real explanations. Luckily, they did get the hint, and Lena offered a shy grin when she realized she was going on and on. Kara shot her a smile and then requested, “So, you finished it? Can I see?”

Lena took in a sharp breath through her nose, saying, “Right, of course, of course.” Then, she looked back to Brainy and gave him a nod, her lips pursed as she tried to prevent herself from smiling or rambling more.

Brainy gave her a short nod in return before he looked at Kara. With a proud, close-lipped grin, he raised two fingers to his temple. His eyes shut momentarily and Kara watched, happily, as his very alien appearance changed to a much more human one. Just seconds before, Brainy stood before her with white hair and blue skin, and now he had dark hair and his skin was definitely now human-passing. His eyes opened as the appearance settled and both he and Lena looked at Kara expectantly.

“That’s—That’s amazing!” Kara chirped genuinely, walking forward to examine him more closely. She wasn’t even entirely sure how it was done—There was absolutely no indication that he was alien or that he was using such a device. Not one single hint. Lena and Brainy’s technology was seamless. Out loud, she acknowledged, “I would literally never guess in my _life_ that you’re an alien, Brainy.”

If Kara didn’t pass as a human, she probably would have asked for one of these herself.

“It’s brilliant, isn’t it?” Lena said in a nearly hushed tone, as if being any louder would ruin the moment of it all. Her eyes met Kara nervously, her smile hesitant, and Kara knew she was direly in need of hearing it confirmed by Kara. Lena was ridiculous—She could cure cancer and still be unsure of her talent even while knowing she’s the only one who could do it.

And so, Kara forgot about Brainy for a moment as she stepped into Lena’s space and kissed her gently. “ _You’re_ brilliant, Lena,” Kara mumbled against her lips and ran her hand down Lena’s arm when she heard Lena’s heartbeat pick up. As soon as she was positive Lena had to have believed her words, Kara stepped back. After all, she wasn’t here to traumatize Brainy, who could barely comprehend his own romantic feelings, let alone the romantic feelings of others (Kara had seen his and Nia Nal’s awkward encounters on several occasions).

Lena smiled crookedly at Kara for a few seconds before it seemed she remembered what exactly she was talking about. She cleared her throat and looked at Brainy, who was looking very much human, and she said, “I think we’ll be able to have it market ready within the next few months. A press conference announcing it even sooner. Of course, I’m going to have to figure out cost and production and everything, but,” Lena took a deep breath and smiled again, “We did it.”

“6 months at the latest,” Brainy said almost immediately and clearly this satisfied Lena, because her eyes only looked brighter. It was then that Brainy’s human appearance started to _malfunction_ and in flashes his normal appearance showed and Lena looked at him with some surprise in her expression. Brainy looked down at himself before looking back up at Kara and correcting, “7 months.”

Which Lena seemed to take as a challenge. Her eyebrow quirked up and she crossed her arms as she said, “It’s just a small glitch. I can get it in just a few minutes, most likely.”

Brainy gave a stiff nod before he raised his two fingers to his temple again and went back to his normal, very alien appearance.

Before Lena and Brainy could go off on another scientific tangent, Kara butt in. “Okay, wait a minute,” She said right as Lena was about to head over to her tools. Lena stopped almost too quickly, like she was surprised, and she gave Kara a sort of deer-in-headlights look. Kara raised both of her eyebrows and held up the bag she had been holding pointedly, “Lunch first, science stuff later. You’ve already made me put it off this long.”

Lena visibly hesitated for a moment, before her unsure expression melted back into her sweet smile and she let out a laugh. “Sure, okay,” She surrendered but as Kara lit up she quickly added, “30 minutes. No more than that.”

“How about an hour?” Kara asked, maybe playing the puppy-eyes a bit more than necessary.

Lena shook her head immediately, yet the three of them sat talking and laughing for well over an hour after that.

 

* * *

 

It had been a while since Kara had felt this nervous _or_ this excited as she stepped into Lena’s office. Despite Eve telling Lena that Kara was about to come in, Kara knocked gently on the door before she let herself inside. Her fingers twitched at her sides as she looked at Lena, who glanced up from her desk with a bright smile as she noticed Kara walking towards her. Kara was practically about to burst in her attempts to prevent herself from shouting what she wanted to say.

That bright smile Lena had didn’t falter as she spoke, even though she sounded confused, “Kara, I was surprised when Eve said you were here.” She sounded taken aback, but not unhappy. If anything, she was happy for the distraction from the paperwork on her desk. Still, as she stood up and rounded the desk to meet Kara, she said, “Lunch time isn’t for another two hours.”

A sheepish, dorky smile worked its way onto Kara’s face as she took a breath. Before Lena could go in for their usual hug, Kara held up a pen and the small notepad in her pant pocket. “Kara Danvers, CatCo Worldwide Media,” She introduced sillily, “Do you think I could get an exclusive interview?”

Realization dawned on Lena’s face slowly, her eyes widening slightly. Like she was afraid she was wrong, she asked in quiet awe, “You got promoted?” Kara nodded quickly and before she could even react, Lena pulled her into a tight hug, laughing delightedly as she gushed, “Oh my _God_ , Kara, that’s wonderful! That’s…Just…Kara!”

“I know!” Kara agreed happily, hugging Lena back, “It happened yesterday, actually, but…I thought I’d surprise you. They needed someone to get an interview over the image inducer release and, well, I kinda know the inventor pretty well. So now I’m here.” Kara frowned to herself, realizing she was rambling. So, she finished with a short laugh and, “Would you mind doing an interview?”

Lena was still smiling, still radiating absolute pride for Kara. After a second she told her with just as much tease as authenticity, “Well, anything for my favorite reporter.”

“I can’t be your favorite,” Kara argued, joking too, “I haven’t done anything yet. I could be absolutely horrible, you don’t know.”

Humming like she was thinking Kara’s argument over, Lena trailed away from Kara and headed back for her sleek, white desk. She sat and quirked her eyebrow up at Kara. “Do I need to remind you of how exactly you got into CatCo’s workplace in the first place?” She asked as Kara sat down across from her, “I think you know exactly how much faith I have in you, love.”

“Maybe you do have a _little_ bit of faith in me, I guess,” Kara teased back, twirling her pen in the air, “Is it bias to write about you since I’m your girlfriend?”

“Does Snapper Carr know you’re my girlfriend?”

“I mean, not that I know of. Just that I have connections to you.”

“Then, no…” Lena decided with a laugh and a sly grin.

Kara couldn’t help but grin back. She _really_ loved Lena Luthor. But, her amusement over her conversation aside, Kara clicked her pen and eyed Lena suggestively. Lena gave a short nod, her attempt at hiding her smile proving to be fruitless, and Kara flipped open her notepad to the first clean page.

“So, Miss Luthor,” Kara said teasingly but then cleared her throat and opted for a serious question, “Your image inducer. What exactly does it do, who is it intended for?” The strange thing about this interview was that Kara already knew all the answers. But, she didn’t know them in Lena’s eye entirely, so maybe she would learn something, too.

Lena pursed her lips as she thought briefly and then she said, “My device is intended for aliens. The ones who can’t blend in if need be. While an alien shouldn’t be required nor expected to blend in with humans, unfortunately the safety of an alien can rely heavily on that camouflage. My image inducer alters somebody’s appearance nearly at will. It will allow aliens to look like humans, whether it be for safety or for personal comfort.” As she finished speaking, Kara finished taking notes (superspeed was very helpful) and looked up at Lena proudly.

“And what made you want to make this device?”

“Originally I was going a very different route, one that would have hurt more than helped anybody,” Lena said and then raised her eyebrow in a pointed manner, “but someone made me realize how terrible of an idea that project was, and I got to thinking that she was right and that project was something my brother would have done. And as I was thinking, I realized how much danger that person was always in, and I decided I could use my technology to help aliens avoid that kind of danger as much as possible. I want to help people and this was the right thing for this time in our world.”

Kara couldn’t help herself. She leaned forward a little, resting her elbow on the desk as her head tilted slightly. “Do you know how much I love you?” She asked, voice soft as she gazed at Lena in a manner that was probably dopier than she would have liked, “Because I really love you.” The words got Lena’s attention, though. Her eyes widened and looked up from her documents and her lips parted for a moment before she smiled widely.

“Ms. Danvers, I don’t think that’s a question I’ve ever been asked in an interview. Or something I’ve been told in an interview,” She teased and Kara laughed in near embarrassment at her impulsive words. Lena, however, was not the least bit embarrassed at all, though she did get quieter as she added, “…But I love you, too.” Then, her eyes narrowed as she peeked at Kara’s notepad, “Did you just draw me instead of writing what I said?”

Offended, Kara half-exclaimed, “No!” Defensively, she held out the notepad and flipped the page over, “Those are notes.” She flipped back and said like it was obvious, “These are drawings. It’s part of the process, babe.”

“Right. I’m sure it is.”

For a few moments, Kara only managed to stare contentedly at Lena in silence. Finally, she said quietly, genuinely, “You know how much good you’re doing, right?”

“I hope I’m doing some good, at least,” Lena admitted but before Kara could argue that she _definitely_ was, she added jokingly, “I’m sure you’ll make me look like less of a monster than most reporters do and I could definitely use that publicity.”

“Perk of having a reporter girlfriend, huh?” Kara asked with a dorky smile.

“One of many,” Lena retorted and as Kara started to ask what _other_ perks there were, she pointed at Kara’s notepad in a silent urge to press on with the interview.

 

* * *

 

Lena did not know much about weddings, nor had she ever cared to. But, when Sam and Alex both separately came over to Lena and Kara’s shared apartment to freak out to Lena and/or Kara only to realize they both had gone to the same place and promptly leave, Lena knew she was going to have to find it in herself to care. After the awkward situation of Sam coming to talk to Lena and Alex coming to talk to Kara about one another at the same time, Lena called Sam. Apparently, Alex had _proposed_ and Sam had said _yes_. A very quick, heartfelt _yes_ that Winn had caught on video and sent to both Lena and Kara.

Of course, Lena was supportive. She was genuinely happy over Sam’s own evident happiness and she forced some excitement over the actual marriage and wedding factor. The most Lena had ever thought about marriages was when Kara put on a rom-com and there would be a cheesy wedding at the end. Really, the only marriage in reality she had ever been around was Lionel and Lillian, which didn’t exactly make her eager to think about the topic at all.

Sam was the most excited that Lena had ever seen her. She was glowing with all the joy in the world, really, and Ruby was somehow even more excited than Sam. Ruby adored Alex—Lena had heard time and time again about how Alex scared the absolute hell out of a girl who had been making fun of Ruby and other stories of exactly why Ruby loved her. Lena was there when Sam and Alex told Ruby nervously about their engagement, as if Ruby would possibly be upset, and Ruby had squealed so loudly that Lena’s eardrums nearly popped. Alex was excited, too, though she tried to act completely chill every time she talked about it. But Lena could see the way she smiled to herself when Sam would put her ring back on after doing the dishes and she knew just how happy Alex really was.

Even Kara was excited, in a strange way. Lena had the feeling that Kara was as uneducated and unknowledgeable of weddings and marriage as she was, even if she acted like she understood the whole ordeal. Lena thought Kara was mostly excited about the cake and food and being happy for her sister rather than actually understanding it. She was all smiles but Lena could see there was something _else_.

J’onn, Winn, and Nia both understood it, which surprised Lena to some extent. Nia was probably the most excited out of J’onn, Winn, Nia, and Kara, and she helped dress shop for Alex. Winn was constantly bugging Kara about it because he was rather scared to ask Alex herself for all the details. J’onn was going to walk Alex down the aisle and, for reasons Lena couldn’t understand, she saw tears in his eyes when he heard the news and saw the smile on Alex’s face.

Brainy was the only one who didn’t get it either. When everybody was celebrating the engagement, Brainy had come over to Lena with a strange sense of embarrassment at it all.

“I do not…Understand,” He admitted to Lena as she poured a glass of wine, “I have been to weddings, but I think I am…I understand data. Numbers. I do not understand this. I do not understand what everybody is feeling over it.”

He thought he was wired to where he couldn’t possibly understand the sentimentality and feeling of it and, honestly, Lena understood that of him. She might not be an alien with a completely different mind than a human, but she didn’t understand quite why it was necessary either. Sam and Alex were already together, they lived together, why should they need a piece of paper that says they’re together? Why should they need a celebration with dresses and suits and fancy cakes?

So, Lena told Brainy, “We don’t have to understand it.” She took a sip of wine as she watched Sam shyly give Alex a soft kiss before Winn hollered and made a scene. She added more quietly as she looked at Brainy, “Boxes.” He gave a nod. If nothing else, at least the both of them understood boxes.

Eventually, Lena went shopping with Sam, Ruby, and Kara to buy Sam a nice suit. Lena and Kara both prided themselves in having good taste for suits and Ruby, well, Ruby would not have missed it for the world. Ruby was having more fun than anybody with this whole wedding deal.

It was when Kara and Ruby went off to find the saleswoman that Lena realized how happy Sam really was.

Sam was standing in a suit— _the_ suit as Ruby put it—and as she looked in the mirror, Lena watched her wipe tears away.

“You’re really happy,” Lena commented before she could stop herself and Sam gave a breathy laugh.

“I didn’t think I would get this,” Sam admitted to her quietly, still looking at herself in the mirror, “I love her, Lena. I had no idea I would ever get this, it’s…God, sorry.” Sam trailed off, laughing and shrugging as she wiped away her tears again. She was crying but she was _smiling_ , so widely that the corners of her eyes were crinkled.

Lena understood the _love_ part. Just not the rest.

When the wedding came, it was like all of the months of engagement excitement but tenfold. Nia, who was already always bouncy and happy, was buzzing with excitement. Brainy stuck to Nia’s side and he seemed more happy than he had been, though Lena wasn’t sure if it was real understanding or him covering his lack of understanding. Winn shed a few tears before the event even began and J’onn had tears nearly streaming down his face with the biggest smile Lena had ever seen on him after he walked Alex down the aisle. Ruby hadn’t stopped smiling since the day began and Lena was sure her cheeks were going to hurt from all the grinning.

Sam and Alex were both glowing. Lena had known Sam for a very long time and yet this kind of happiness on Sam was foreign. Lena had known Alex for less time and yet somehow she knew that Alex was just as happy. That this all meant the world to both of them. Yet, Lena didn’t get why.

Kara was standing just behind Alex and Lena was just behind Sam. Both of them had been so busy with Alex or Sam that Lena hadn’t seen Kara much at the wedding up until now.

As Sam and Alex finished their vows with a kiss, Lena looked at Kara.

Lena looked at Kara and Kara smiled at her. A real, genuine, loving smile that reached her eyes and was just for Lena.

And all at once, Lena understood.

—

“Hey, Lena!” Kara greeted cheerfully into her phone as she flew away from her latest fight scene. The cops arrived to arrest the lowlifes and Lena had called with almost perfect timing. Before Lena could possibly greet her in return, Kara went on with, “I just fought these guys, I should be home soon. Like, real soon. I have super speed. In case you somehow forgot, I mean.” …And she was rambling. Kara muttered an apology into the phone and gave Lena a chance to speak.

“ _I_ won’t be,” Lena mumbled and Kara frowned to the open sky at the tiredness in Lena’s voice, “I won’t be home until later. I just called to let you know. I’m sorry, just—Work’s been piling up and the investor and…” She sighed loudly. Admittedly, L-Corp was not having its finest week. Lena’s latest prototype had failed, again, and an investor had been trying to back out. Lena had been in meetings or on phone calls nearly every hour of the past few days, personally trying to sort it out.

Kara bit back a sigh of her own and instead said, “Don’t be sorry. You’ve had a rough week.” She could practically see the way Lena would nod and rub at her eyes with her hands in exasperation before she reached for another drink. Kara chewed her lip for a moment, thinking, and just as Lena was about to undoubtedly spout another apology, she said, “I’m gonna hang up. Don’t get too stressed out, okay?”

“Oh,” Lena said quietly and Kara felt a pang of guilt at the poorly masked disappointment in her voice, “Alright. I’ll see you later tonight. I love you.”

“I love you,” Kara repeated and, within a moment, the call ended and she was flying to her favorite Chinese restaurant. She might have felt slightly bad at hanging up on Lena so quickly, but she figured her reason would make up for it. At the restaurant, she got takeout—Enough takeout for two families, probably, which equated to a satisfying meal for herself to chow down and Lena to pick at. Kara—Or, Supergirl—thanked the new employee who looked thoroughly starstruck by giving Supergirl orange chicken and potstickers, and then she was in the sky again.

When Kara got to L-Corp, she saw that Lena looked just as stressed out as she sounded. She did, in fact, have a drink on her desk that was halfway empty. Her pen was tapping insistently on her desk as she read through an email, her hair was still in the tight bun she had that morning but now it was loose and strands were falling out. Lena set down her pen and leaned back in her chair as she pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a heavy sigh—Which turned into a startled, quiet yelp when Kara knocked on the balcony door.

Lena turned to look and her expression shifted from doubtful to honestly joyful when she saw Kara wave at her. Kara almost grinned. She had definitely surprised Lena, that was for certain. Which, yes, Kara was reasonably proud of.

Kara let herself inside after Lena had noticed her and, almost immediately, Lena was hugging her. Kara grinned to herself as she wrapped her free hand around Lena’s back, tapping her hand on Lena’s shoulder.

“You’re never one to disappoint, are you?” Lena asked with a breathy laugh before she pulled away. She motioned to her office couch and the two of them walked to it as she said, “I…I mean, thank you.”

As she sat down, Kara started to pull containers from the plastic bag and set them on the table. She smiled widely at Lena as she handed her a small container of potstickers—Kara loved Lena enough to restrain herself from at least eating a couple of the purchased potstickers. A couple.

“I figured you hadn’t eaten, because…Duh,” Kara said and Lena gave a short laugh, “And I figured I’d come see you. So, uh…Hi.”

It was as Lena shook her head and mumbled something about Kara being sweet that Kara noticed the slight tremble of Lena’s hands and the less subtle drumming of her heartbeat. Her heart was beating just a bit too fast to be normal, her eyes were glued to the potstickers she held, and she was chewing her bottom lip despite her lipstick. Kara frowned at it all. Lena’s work must have been more stressful than Kara had initially thought.

“Are you okay?” Kara asked Lena through a mouthful of a potsticker, and Lena eyed her suspiciously.

“Kryptonians don’t have mind reading powers, right?” Lena asked like she needed the reassurance that Kara was, in fact, unable to hunt through her thoughts.

“Last I checked, no,” Kara said with a laugh, “Though that would make DEO interrogations a lot easier. But, uh, you just seem off. You okay?”

“Yes,” Lena nodded shortly and, before Kara could interrogate her further, she asked, “Anything interesting happen today?”

Despite herself, Kara’s mind immediately forgot her concern. She rolled her eyes as she quickly ate another potsticker and then she said, “The DEO is insane, Lena. You thought it was crazy the last time you were there? No. No, now it’s crazy.” Kara gave Lena such a look of exaggerated exasperation that Lena’s obvious nerves faded for a second in favor of a laugh. “Brainy and Nia keep…Dancing around each other. Winn keeps trying to give Brainy ‘guy advice’ which horribly backfires every single time. Nia’s oblivious to Alex dropping hints to her about Brainy. The usual DEO gossip has, like, tripled this week alone.”

Lena nodded to show Kara she was keeping up with the story.

“But! Good news is that the new suit is really, really cool,” Kara said with a grin as she waved down at her own suit.

“The pants are much more sensible,” Lena agreed softly with a smug smile.

“Yeah! Pants! And how it materializes. I don’t have to ruin my nice shirts anymore.” Kara was secretly both happy and disappointed with that part. On one hand, the materialization was very cool and she was spending a bit too much money on buying new shirts and buttons for ripped shirts, but on the other hand she really was going to miss the cheesiness of ripping her shirt open. Either way, she looked at Lena and because it seemed like Lena needed to hear it, she said gently, “You’re brilliant, Lena. Seriously, the suit is awesome.”

“I want you to marry me.”

Kara nearly choked on her food. She took a drink of water, washing it down before she could possibly choke on it, and turned to look at Lena. Lena, who was staring at her with a focused, intense look of determination. Lena, who had just said—

“What?” Kara asked because she couldn’t have heard correctly. The knowledge that she quite literally had super hearing didn’t change that she _definitely_ heard Lena wrong. That was not the response to _you’re brilliant_. That wasn’t the response to anything, really, and—

But Lena said again, with an equally as intense look in her eye, “Kara, I want you to marry me.” And, as Kara still didn’t react, it seemed to occur to Lena what she had said. Her focused look shifted into a wide-eyed look of embarrassment or shock and she stood up quite suddenly. “Shit, I meant—“ Lena patted the pockets of her suit pants for a moment before she said, “Hold on.” Without another glance to Kara she hurried to her desk and started digging in one of the drawers.

All the while, Kara was sat frozen to the spot. Her mouth was glued open in a permanent _O_ , her eyes were unblinking, as she watched Lena fumble about her desk. Because, _what_?

“Stupid—“ Lena muttered under her breath but Kara heard it just as clearly as the _marry me_ and after a second of cussing, Lena seemed to locate what she wanted. “God, okay,” She said, pulling a little box from her desk. She held it up triumphantly for a moment and Kara’s eyes landed on it, the item not helping her shock nor her disbelief, and she was headed back to the white couch and Kara. She sat back down next to Kara with as much grace as she possibly could in that moment and focused her eyes back on Kara, who still felt like a Kryptonian statue.

“Lena…” Kara tried, voice failing her.

“Let me start over. I didn’t mean to—to do that,” Lena said in an almost pleading tone before she composed herself and started over. She took a shaky deep breath and then she spoke. “Listen, Kara, I never…Thought marriage was something I would get to do. To be perfectly honest I never really thought I would want to. But, a few months ago…Sam and your sister’s wedding, it was so lovely and I’ve never seen Sam _that_ kind of happy. And I looked over at you and you smiled at me and…I—I was wrong about thinking marriage wouldn’t ever be something I would want with anybody.”

Kara wasn’t entirely sure if she was lucid or if she was dreaming right then.

“I’m not really sure if marriage was a thing on Krypton, or if it was anything like here, or if you never had any interest in it like I didn’t, but…” Lena took another deep, shaky breath before she smiled hopefully at Kara, “We can figure it all out together…If you want to.” Lena unsteadily opened the little, velvety box she held as she finished, “Marry me, Kara.”

Marriage _hadn’t_ been something Kara had ever given much thought to. Especially not since she had been on Earth—She had been in high school when Clark got married to Lois and back then she hadn’t understood it entirely, why Clark had married her. And, it wasn’t like any of the relationships she had on Earth had ever gotten anywhere past a few months, let alone gotten anywhere near the point where she would think about _marriage_. Then, Alex had gotten engaged to Maggie and that fell apart as quickly as it had started, and maybe Kara never really had any reason to give much thought about the topic.

Her eyes fell to the ring Lena was holding with her shaky hands, and then she looked at Lena’s hesitant smile.

Kara was nodding before she could even find the words to match.

 

* * *

 

 

Something was weird. The morning started fairly normal, at least—Kara woke up as Lena got up ungodly early, tried and succeeded in getting Lena to come back to bed for at least ten more minutes, and then the two of them got ready for work. Lena made coffee in the kitchen while Kara did a few finishing touches on an article she was working on. Then, Lena set a cup of coffee with infinitely too much sugar for a normal person in front of Kara and kissed Kara’s temple before she went off to L-Corp.

But once Kara got to CatCo, something felt odd. From the second she walked inside, it felt like eyes were on her. It was that feeling of being talked about that made her feel slightly unsettled and she found herself anxiously adjusting her glasses as she entered the elevator. While in the elevator, Kara’s phone dinged. Forgetting her nerves for a moment, Kara looked at the device to see a text from Alex, but the moment she read it her confusion and concern flared right back.

Alex: Don’t worry, we’re handling it.

 _Handling what?_ Kara typed back just as the elevator opened. As her eyes drew up, she noticed Nia standing just outside of the elevator, one hand slightly raised like she had just been about to hit the elevator button. Nia’s eyes went immediately wide as they locked with Kara’s. Smiling brightly, Kara greeted, “Hi, Nia—“

“I’m so sorry, I don’t even know what you’re probably thinking, I mean…” Nia stuttered out, her hand dropping promptly to her side, “I mean, I don’t—That has to be weird, everyone talking, like _everyone_ talking, and—“ Seeming to notice the confused expression on Kara’s face and registering it as something else, Nia immediately apologized, “I’m making it worse, aren’t I? Um, I brought you coffee, so…Here.” And before Kara could react, Nia shoved a cup of coffee into Kara’s hand and rushed into the elevator.

“Nia, wait—“ Kara started but was quickly cut off by the elevator doors closing between her and Nia. For a moment, Kara stood still, attempting to comprehend the encounter. She decided it was just Nia being _Nia_ —Nia Nal was by all means as much of a stutter, anxious mess as Kara Danvers could be—and proceeded on her way, sipping the cup of coffee. At least she got coffee out of Nia’s strange freakout.

That deeply uncomfortable feeling of being the topic on everyone’s minds did not fade the further she ventured into CatCo. In fact, it only grew stronger the more people she walked past.

The third incident came only a few minutes after the Nia situation, as Kara was setting down her coffee on her desk. James approached, rather awkwardly she might add, and cleared his throat. Kara looked up at him and, right away, it was obvious he was _uncomfortable_. His hands were clasped together, his expression was more of a grimace than anything, and all in all he seemed like he would rather be anywhere else.

“Is something wrong?” Kara asked and, honestly, she was going to lose her mind if she didn’t get an explanation as to why everybody was acting off.

“We—I just wanted to say that…” James tugged on the collar of his purple shirt uncomfortably, “You’re a reporter, you know—It’ll go away when some other story comes out. Probably. And it was initially reported by a news site that isn’t very credible, there’s a million ways it could probably be spun to look like a fake article and…You know.”

Blankly, Kara asked, “James, seriously, what are you talking about?”

James’s eyebrows furrowed, like he wasn’t sure what _Kara_ was talking about, and then his mouth fell open somewhat comically. “You haven’t seen it?” He questioned and, if even possible, the realization seemed to make him want to disappear even more than before.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kara said, annoyance tinging her tone. It was getting ridiculous—She was getting weird interactions with everybody and yet no answers as to why.

While trying to figure out a response, James’s gaze left Kara and moved behind her. Kara followed his look, behind her and up, to the TVs hanging around the room, and almost too suddenly it made perfect sense.

 _Too_ many of the monitors had one thing in common. The news was playing, from different news channels, and they all had that _one_ similarity. A picture, Kara recognized as being outside of her apartment, taken from a short distance. It featured, very obviously, Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor. Very obviously kissing. It didn’t seem like the news channels knew who _she_ was, but most of the captions had to do with Lena and a ‘mystery woman’—But judging by the weird feeling she had been getting all day, it seemed like everyone in this building had it figured out.

“Oh, Rao,” Kara said instinctively, eyes glued to the photo displayed next to news anchors talking. It was _very_ obvious.

“Yeah…” James supplied unhelpfully.

Turning back to James, Kara said simply, “I need to go.” And before James could respond, though Kara truly did not care whether he approved of her leaving work or not, Kara was headed right back towards the elevator.

Considering she just heard about all of this, Kara assumed Lena must have heard by now, and even if she hadn’t she was _going_ to sooner than later. _Especially_ if Eve had heard about it, because Eve was probably as calm and collected about it as Nia. Which, frankly, sounded disastrous to Kara. So, within a few seconds, Kara was speeding off of the CatCo roof and in the direction of L-Corp.

Lena didn’t look surprised to see Kara walk in through the balcony door right as Lena walked into the office. She just raised an eyebrow, shut the door behind her, and headed directly for the couch with a wave of her hand. Kara joined her silently, sat down beside her, and finally asked, “You saw?”

In response, Lena held up the magazines she was holding. “Front page,” Lena said plainly, and just as she said, Kara saw _the photo_ right on the _front page_ of _several different magazines_.

Kara groaned, covering her face with her hands as if it would somehow kill the embarrassment she had. “Rao, Lena, I’m so sorry,” She said immediately, “This is probably, like, a PR nightmare, and I don’t—Not to mention you probably prefer your personal life isn’t on the _front page_ and—Oh, man,” Kara shook her head, completely at a loss for words over exactly how sorry she was.

To her surprise, Lena gave her a somewhat confused look. “You’re the one working at CatCo, doesn’t it cause some problems since you’ve written about me?” She questioned, “Bias and all. Actually, I’m surprised I haven’t seen anything implying I paid the company to write positive things about me.” As if to make sure nobody had and she just missed it, Lena flipped through one of the magazines to skim through the article inside.

“I—I don’t know,” Kara responded, rather taken aback, and she argued, “but who cares about that. You’re the one who doesn’t need this sort of media—“

“Certainly preferred over most things published about me,” Lena countered, her eyes not leaving the magazine. After a second, she closed it and looked at Kara again. This time, though, Kara could see the faint emotion behind her eyes. Guilt, Kara thought. “Listen, Kara, I really am sorry. I know exactly how people are, reporters—no offense—and god knows who else who likes to invade personal lives. Half of my life has been in the papers at one point or another. I should’ve been more careful.”

That took Kara by surprise. “What?” She asked and almost immediately assured, “No, no—I’m not upset—I mean, I’m not upset _at_ you, I’m worried this is gonna cause you problems. I honestly don’t…I don’t care if everyone knows, I just don’t want you to have problems over it.”

 _That_ in turn seemed to take Lena by surprise. “You’re…Not worried about it?” She asked carefully.

Kara shook her head. “No,” She said truthfully, “I mean, it’s kinda awkward at work now, apparently, but they’ll get over it. And Snapper will get over it, too, even if he’s kinda an ass. I just know, like you said, _half_ your life has been in the news or lied about or whatever and this is just like…Another thing that’s been forced out in the open for you. And you’re a businesswoman, that’s gotta cause some issues at work, right?”

“…Some issues, sure, but it’s not like ‘Lena Luthor Spotted Kissing Mystery Woman’ is worse than ‘Lena Luthor—Murderer?’ so…” Lena pursed her lips at her own joke before saying more clearly, “It’s not so much trouble that I’d rather nobody ever find out, you know. I figured it would be more problematic for you, since you’re…Supergirl…And Kara being in the spotlight could be bad, right? I can’t imagine the DEO is all that happy, either.”

“They might have…Some issues,” Kara agreed slowly. Considering Alex’s earlier text, it seemed they were trying to cover it up or _something_. “But Alex is my sister and J’onn is like a dad to me, they wouldn’t care when it came down to it. You know?”

“So, you don’t…Mind if people know?” Lena asked carefully as if she were stepping into a trap.

“No,” Kara answered just as cautiously, “…And, you don’t?” Really, Kara hadn’t been entirely sure of what to expect, but it wasn’t for Lena to be quite so calm and understanding. At the worst she expected to find her with a fresh bottle of scotch as she dealt with emails and calls from Rao knows who as she tried to handle the seemingly infinite news articles and magazines.

Lena shook her head, the hesitance she had seemingly gone.

When Kara looked at the headlines in her news app the next day, she couldn’t help but smile at them.

_Lena Luthor Confirms Engagement With Reporter Kara Danvers._

—

Game night was, oddly enough, the event Lena looked forward to the most every week. Typically, it was at Kara’s apartment, which meant it was at Lena’s apartment. At first, Lena had been wary of game night in general, but that wariness only lasted a few game nights. Then, she started having fun. She understood at least some of Kara’s million board games after a while and Kara’s friends were _her_ friends, too.

Winn almost always lost. He was _not_ good at any of the games played and even Lena was better than he was when she had no idea what she was doing. Brainy was very good—he would go home and run simulations of every possible scenario in a game—and everybody took it as a challenge. Alex got very, very competitive and even more so when she was drinking and Sam was definitely a lot nicer about it all than her wife. Ruby was just as competitive as Alex and, as it turned out, they made for a scary team the few times they partnered up for a game. Kara was competitive, too, but with her it was a lot more of a _fun_ way than Alex. J’onn was always calm, and he was always very welcoming to Lena.

Lena liked those things about game night.

“Lena, did you get snacks ready?” Kara called across the apartment from where she was sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV. She had several different board games strewn out around her, one specifically large pile in front of her as she tried to narrow down her choices. Kara declared it was her turn to pick the first game and, well, she was dedicated to the choice.

In the kitchen, Lena was in charge of getting snacks. Or, as specified by Kara, Lena was in charge of getting snacks from _Kara’s_ stock of food rather than her own—which meant Kara was making absolute sure that Lena would not try to pass around a bowl of kale chips. “Yes,” She called back simply as she pulled a bottle of wine from the fridge. Two big bowls of chips, juice for Ruby, wine for everyone else—it seemed to be about right.

Kara hummed her appreciation and, a second later, stood up with a look of triumph. “I think I’m gonna choose Monopoly,” She said proudly and Lena stopped in her movements to look at her.

“You know monopoly is—I’m not—“

“Good at it?” Kara supplied teasingly and Lena rolled her eyes. Kara was right, though, Despite being a savvy businesswoman, for whatever reason Lena always seemed to do poorly in Monopoly. “Maybe, but Winn is worse than you, and he decided to say he could win the first game tonight. I gotta prove he can’t, you know,” Kara explained and Lena almost laughed at it. Winn _was_ horrible at that particular game.

“Still, you’re setting me up for failure while setting him up for it,” Lena argued in good heart as Kara wandered into the kitchen beside her.

Kara kissed her cheek gently and said, “Maybe, but we always play charades and you know you and me always win.” Lena couldn’t help but smile and Kara seemed to notice because she kissed Lena’s again, though on the lips this time, and she added, “We make a good team.”

“We always have,” Lena supplied, her voice low, and just as she looked at Kara, a knock sounded on the door. Lena cleared her throat, and waved at the door. “Better go let whoever it is in,” She told Kara. Honestly, if she didn’t, depending on the person it was likely they would bust in anyway. Specifically Alex or Winn. Kara gave a smile as she nodded, making it clear she knew exactly what Lena was thinking about, and she went to go allow whichever one of their strange friends in.

It was Alex, who arrived first. She showed up with Sam and a bottle of wine. Over the next half hour, the rest of their little family trailed in. Brainy and Nia came together and to Lena’s satisfaction the two were holding hands as they came inside. Winn and J’onn came with each other straight from the DEO and James arrived with Lucy soon after the two of them.

And, to either Lena’s satisfaction or horror, Kara did not choose monopoly. Rather, she chose Twister after finding it somehow shoved under the couch a few minutes after Alex had came. Alex tried fruitlessly to convince Kara that _no,_ they were not playing Twister, because the last time they did, Winn got accidentally kicked in the face by James and Alex had to deal with making sure his nose was not broken. The attempt ended when, not a moment later, Kara egged her on by saying, “You just know you won’t win, Alex.” After that, it was inevitable despite the complaints of every single person who walked through the front door.

Kara’s nightly goal of proving Winn was awful at games was a success, though. Not five minutes in did he fall over while trying to snake his leg past Kara’s arm (Lena was fairly certain Kara might have purposely raised her arm just enough that Winn bumped it and lost balance).

It was after Kara gave in and lost, which meant Lena won (should she be proud of beating a superhero in a game of Twister?), and they were all laughing that the TV displayed something particularly interesting.

Kara threw herself onto her couch after she lost, ignoring the snarky, playful comments being thrown at her. She dragged Lena down, too, and laughed as she said defensively, “Hey, I still beat the rest of you. Lena’s just better at all of us at like…Most things.” Her arm wrapped around Lena’s shoulders as she said it and, truthfully, Lena couldn’t help the smug smirk that crossed her expression.

“You still lost, sis,” Alex pointed out, the salt in her tone evident, “so don’t be getting on a high horse.”

“You’re just mad because you lost right after _Winn_ ,” Kara rebutted teasingly and Winn gave a defeated sigh, seeming to accept that he was the punching bag tonight. Kara grinned at him and said with a notable lack of sincerity, “No offense, Winn.”

“Oh, right, ‘no offense, Winn’,” Winn mocked sarcastically, “You guys are bullies, I hope you all know that.”

“It’s out of love,” Kara told him with a much too sweet smile and he threw a couch pillow at her, which she caught easily and threw directly back before Lena could even blink. As Winn sputtered, Kara completely moved on and said, “Anyway, everyone, just be proud of Lena! And at the same time team up with me to beat her because she’s getting too good at game night!”

As the group each said either congratulatory murmurs or vows to take Lena down in the next game, Lena’s eye caught sight of the muted TV. Nobody was paying attention to the thing, Alex had just hit mute instead of totally turning it off, but Lena’s stomach twisted into a knot as she saw the very recognizable face on the screen. Her nerves only worsened as she saw the news-style caption under his face.

“Kara,” Lena said suddenly and, she must not have kept her voice as worry-free as she thought, because Kara’s laughter quickly died.

“What’s wrong?” Kara asked.

“Unmute the TV,” Lena instructed and, as she said it, all eyes turned to the TV as Kara fumbled for the remote. Kara unmuted it before she even looked up and saw the caption and, when she did look up, Lena saw her expression shift from concerned for borderline mad.

James was the first to speak, saying an unbelieving, “He’s trying to _what_?” He found his phone in his pocket, then, and a look of surprise caught him. “I…I’ll be right back, I didn’t even know I was getting calls,” He said in near confusion as he stood up and wandered away, towards the hallway outside Kara’s apartment.

It seemed very clear that the majority of everybody didn’t entirely understand—Of course somebody buying CatCo was bad, but the majority of them didn’t know _Edge_. Sam, however, seemed to catch on fairly quickly because she said, “Is that…?”

The look Lena gave her seemed to tell her plenty and Alex, who was clearly just as pissed, squeezed her hand in a silent _calm down_.

“Lena,” Kara said suddenly, her eyes finally tearing away from the screen and fixing on Lena, “Kitchen.”

So, in a moment, Lena was following Kara the short distance to the kitchen. Once as far away as possible from the rest of everyone, Kara said quietly, anxiety tinging her tone, “Is this…Do you think this is because of our engagement?” Lena hadn’t though of that immediately, but as soon as Kara said it, she realized that couldn’t be far off. Lena had announced their engagement to the entire world not two weeks ago and now Edge, who had been released from custody a year ago but never bothered them, was back and trying to buy CatCo. CatCo, that he knew Kara worked at and knew was important to her. Kara, who was important to Lena.

“I’ll talk to him,” Lena decided without much thought. Edge and her might be complete enemies, but Lena was a businesswoman. She was slick, and clever, and she knew how to play people to get what she needed. Even if Edge was a _snake_ , it was worth a shot.

“No,” Kara butt in immediately, eyes going wide, “Obviously you’re not going to do that.”

“He’s going to _take_ CatCo, Kara—“

“Yeah, _and_ he’s a _murderer_!”

“Who I’ve handled before,” Lena pointed out and then said a bit more desperately, “I’ll talk to him, Kara.”

Kara argued more, but eventually Lena was out the door with the intent of going to Edge’s office.

—

Everybody filed out of Kara’s apartment slowly after that.

The only thing keeping Kara from completely losing her mind worrying was the sound of Lena’s heartbeat all the way across the city. As Lena went from the apartment to Edge’s building, Kara kept an ear on the sound. Even as it grew quiet the farther she got, Kara could hear it and that was the only thing keeping her calm. Lena’s heartbeat was steady on the way there and when she was in Edge’s building. It only started growing rapid when Lena got back to Kara’s apartment.

Kara opened the door right as Lena was raising her key and she nearly dropped it out of fright. But Kara didn’t have a thought to apologize and instead she practically interrogated, “What happened?” Which was followed closely by, “Are you okay?”

Lena waved her hand to tell Kara that she wanted to come inside rather than be questioned in the hallway, so Kara moved back and let Lena enter. Lena was silent all the while she came in, took off her fur coat, set her purse down, and walked to the couch. Kara followed quietly, though she was practically buzzing with anxiety and the need to know, and she was nearly about to burst and ask again.

Lena dropped down onto the couch and stared straight ahead in focus as Kara sat next to her.

When Lena finally did speak, right as Kara was about to say something, she said, “I couldn’t convince Edge not to buy CatCo. Actually, I think my request made him want it more.”

And Kara’s heart promptly sunk into her stomach. “So—So that’s it?” She asked, her voice bordering upset, “CatCo’s gone?” Kara thought somehow Lena would convince him. She didn’t know how, but she thought—and now CatCo was just gone?

But then Lena spoke again.

She said, slowly like she were gauging Kara’s reaction, “No, I…I bought it.”

“I—You did _what_?”

“I bought CatCo,” Lena repeated simply, her eyes finally meeting Kara’s. She was scanning Kara’s for signs of what Kara was thinking, she could tell, and her heart was still thudding away anxiously despite the cool demeanor she displayed. “Edge, he wasn’t going to back down. I know he wasn’t. And, I—I bought it, Kara.”

“You—“ Kara stuttered on syllables unrecognizable as words for a few moments before she let out a startled laugh and said, “Lena, what? How—How much did that even cost?”

“750 million dollars,” Lena said so nonchalantly that Kara almost choked on thin air. Somehow even after being engaged to Lena, Kara still could not wrap her mind around Lena’s money. Who buys a 750 million dollar magazine company on a whim and doesn’t even flinch saying the amount? Seeming to catch Kara’s reaction, Lena assured her with the same amount of casualty that should not be around when discussing money, “Don’t worry, that’s barely a dent in my bank account.”

Kara gaped at her.

Lena seemed to deflate. “Are you—Was that wrong of me to do?” She asked, her eyebrows knit together, and it was obvious the gears were turning in her head, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong about the whole situation.

“Rao, Lena, no—It’s just—“ Kara shook her head and laughed as she shrugged, “I—You’re amazing, that’s just…Not what I was expecting.” Which was an understatement. Kara was still somewhat convinced Lena was about to say April Fools (the fact it was most definitely not April and Lena didn’t understand the point of April Fools anyway was unimportant). “So, you _bought_ CatCo? You own it now?”

“As soon as the paperwork goes through,” Lena confirmed, visibly more at ease, “and then Edge can’t come anywhere near it again.” She smiled, then, and looked at Kara as she said teasingly, “I hope you don’t mind me being your boss again.”

Kara kissed her right then.

—

This could not be happening today.

Not today. Not right now. Right this second was the absolute worst possible time.

Supergirl swooped into the new-and-improved DEO with a bit of a hurried landing. This version of the DEO was much nicer than the old one—Rather than being underground and decorated with stalagmites, this facility was in a skyscraper and had _windows_. Windows, and balconies—Balconies that Supergirl had quickly associated to memories of kissing Lena when she was invited to the DEO to help. It was an improvement by all means.

“Alex?” Supergirl called out and as soon as her sister came wandering down the staircase with a pack of agents behind her, Supergirl raised her hands in exasperation. “This better be, like, seriously an emergency. Like, the _emergenciest_ emergency. You know this was the one day this week I wanted off in the morning.” As Supergirl came to a stop in front of Alex and her group, she crossed her arms to punctuate exactly how irritated she was to get a DEO message at 5 in the morning. 5 in the morning, when she had just convinced Lena to come back to bed for 30 more minutes.

“I know, it’s Lena’s first day,” Alex said apologetically, “but Supergirl has responsibilities.”

Supergirl stared her sister down for a moment before she sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. “I know,” She said, unable to keep her disappointment from tinging her tone, “What have we got?”

Alex briefed her on an escaped alien—Seriously, when would aliens stop escaping the DEO? Supergirl would have thought a super secret alien-dedicated government facility could keep them locked down—and she had barely finished the brief before Supergirl was mid-flight into the city. When Supergirl had tracked down the alien, she had one of her usual fights, but this time, she was sloppy. She knew she was sloppy. Rushed, maybe a few cars got unnecessarily destroyed, but she was in a hurry.

When she beat the alien in record time, she dragged him to the DEO in the blink of an eye and, in even less time, she had changed, grabbed her present for Lena, and zipped out of the DEO before Alex could talk to her any further.

—

“Lena!” Kara called happily as she neared the glass-walled office. Lena was inside, talking to James, but the moment Kara said her name a wide smile grew on her face and her gaze caught Kara’s. Kara walked inside and Lena walked away from James without a word to him so she could join Kara.

“Kara!” Lena greeted her with just as much cheer, and the happiness between them was completely palpable.

For a second Kara only managed to smile in a dopey way at her, before she remembered what she was holding. “Uh,” She held a small book with a shiny blue ribbon on top out to Lena, “Here. Welcome to CatCo.”

Lena took it and, if it was somehow possible, she only seemed happier. “You didn’t have to do that,” She protested with a sweet little laugh as she looked down at it in her hands.

“It’s a Danvers family tradition,” Kara explained, adjusting her glasses. Somehow, even after four years, Lena managed to make Kara nervous. It was a _good_ nervous, but still, she couldn’t stop the butterflies in her stomach. “On the first day of school you get…” She waved her hand at Lena’s gift, “A planner.”

“Well, it’s lovely,” Lena told her appreciatively and Kara could practically see in her eyes just how happy it really did make her. It was just a silly planner, but it was a _Danvers_ family tradition. Lena was a part of Kara’s family and Kara knew that made Lena far more proud than she would ever fully admit.

Next to them, James made his presence known by clearing his throat. Kara and Lena both looked at him, smiles unintentionally fading slightly. He set his hands on his hips, looking taken aback, and he questioned stupidly, “You knew Miss Luthor would be here today?”

“Yeah? James...I live with her,” Kara reminded him.

There was a second of silence.

“…She’s my fiancé, James,” Lena added.

After another split second of silence, Lena gave an apologetic smile and said, “I should’ve communicated more clearly, James. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again. And, please, it’s just Lena. We’ve been going to the same game night every week for years, we’re friends.”

“Right, I…It’s fine, we’re just not ready for a change in management, that’s all,” James forced out his words, not entirely well, and when Kara and Lena just looked at him, he said, “I have to go get…Copies. Um, bye, Ms. Luthor, Kara.” Before Lena could try to correct him, again, he was hurrying past Kara and out of the awkward situation he had caused.

After watching James head out of the office to Nia, who’s gaze drifted to Kara and Lena. Nia smiled widely and waved a bit awkwardly, the sheepish look on her obvious even with the distance between them. Kara and Lena both waved back at her, gentle smiles on their faces, before Kara laughed and looked at Lena. “I’m having some deja vu today,” She told her.

Lena laughed lowly and nodded her agreement as she walked over to the desk with Kara following close behind. “Who would’ve thought after all these years,” She set the planner Kara gifted her down in the middle of the desk and turned back to Kara, “I’d end up being your boss again?”

“Hey, I’m not complaining,” Kara teased with her hands raised slightly, “I sort of missed it.”

Scoffing, Lena shoved Kara’s shoulder gently. “Cat Grant and James couldn’t have been that bad as bosses,” She argued with just as much tease in her tone, “Well, James, at least. You’ve shown me your diary from the _Cat Grant Era_.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “Don’t remind me, I beg you,” She joked, over-exaggeratedly shuddering at the mention of when she was Cat Grant’s assistant. Cat Grant ended up being helpful, and deep down she really was kind and she had a soft spot for Kara, but still, she had been a _lot_. The kindness portion of her was very, _very_ deep down.

The overreaction got a laugh out of Lena—one of the free, happy, _real_ ones that Kara felt pride in causing. She grinned widely as Lena covered her mouth with her hand to cover her laugh and her smile.

“But, no, seriously,” Kara went on, backtracking to defend her claim that she missed working with Lena, “I mean, I missed getting to see you at work everyday. I like getting to see you as much as I can.” She shrugged sheepishly, and then joked, “Plus, it’ll be easier to bring you donuts and lunch when we work in the same building.”

Kara took a second to admire Lena’s reaction grow from sheepish and soft, to humored and borderline offended at the thought of Kara bringing her an ungodly amount of donuts every week. Kara looked at Lena until her focus was taken away, to the plethora of screens behind Lena’s new desk. The news was playing, and Kara could see live video feed playing of a bank with cops outside. An apparent _bank robbery_ turned hostage situation.

Lena seemed to catch Kara’s sudden distraction and she followed her gaze, looking over her shoulder. “Duty calls?” She asked, her voice quieter than before to keep their shared secret between them. Kara was lucky Lena was a better secret keeper than her at the best of times.

“Yeah,” Kara said with a nod, looking back at Lena with some apology in her tone, “I gotta—you know.”

For a second, Lena’s eyes focused behind Kara, out of the office. She chewed on her lip, some of the lipstick smudging slightly, as she met Kara’s eyes again. She smiled sillily and said, “I’d really like to kiss you right now but I’m afraid I’d be showing favoritism.”

Kara scoffed loudly because that statement was absolutely _ridiculous_ to her. “Uh, screw that,” She held up her hand and wiggled her ring finger pointedly to show off the much too expensive ring there, “I _am_ your favorite. Come here.”

That argument seemed to win Lena over. She shook her head and laughed at Kara, before she switched to nodding her head instead. Kara took that as a victory, so she took the tiny step forward she needed to be practically right against Lena. She cupped Lena’s face gently and kissed her, feeling her heart swell with so much unrestrained _love_ as Lena kissed her eagerly back and set her hands on Kara’s hips.

Kara could feel the stares of half the damn employees at CatCo and could hear a few chuckles with her super hearing, but honestly, it entertained her more than anything else and it _definitely_ wasn’t going to stop her. She kissed Lena deeper for a moment, and despite wishing the all too quick kiss could last, the both of them pulled back and smiled softly at one another.

“Go save some lives, Supergirl,” Lena whispered, pressing another quick kiss to Kara’s cheek, “I love you.” Those three words coming from Lena still managed to make Kara’s heart completely melt. Hearing those words from Lena felt like truly living, like she hadn’t really been living before Lena was in her life.

“I love you,” Kara told her in return with a cheeky grin to top it off, and with that said, she rushed towards the balcony of the big, glass office. Once she was standing on the balcony, she looked back at Lena and was unable to help herself from calling out, “I’ll pick up donuts on the way back!”

Kara was in her Supergirl attire and in the air by the time Lena was able to yell after her, “Don’t you _dare_ —“

She smiled to no one as she zipped through the air, the breeze hitting her face as she listened to the sound of her cape smacking against the wind. She could feel slight stickiness on her lip, Lena’s lipstick smudged there from their brief kiss, and that ring on her finger was an added weight that just felt so _perfect_ being there. It all felt so right, so perfect.

The photonucleic effect is a very specialized astronomical phenomenon that takes place when an object native to a red star enters an area with a small G-type star.

Kara’s powers came from the Earth’s yellow sun. The yellow sun made her powerful, invincible, while the red sun from her home made her as much of a human as any one of them roaming the Earth. Yet, Lena gave her a place to be both. Lena made her feel strong in a way that even being Supergirl didn’t and yet Lena was also the one person Kara could just be _Kara_ with. Lena made Kara feel like Kara even when she was supposed to be Supergirl and somehow made her feel like Supergirl even when she was supposed to be a boring, normal reporter.

 _Lena_ was Kara’s sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End.
> 
> Okay, this is the longest fic I've ever written and it's honestly the only fic I've ever finished, so it's kinda really important to me and I'm sort of SHOCKED it's over. Thank you guys so much for reading this and hopefully it was enjoyable so! Seriously thank you.
> 
> Keep an eye out for my next fics because I have so many ideas and they'll be up soon
> 
> -
> 
> tumblr: zorelcorp  
> twitter: @photonucleic

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on tumblr: @zorelcorp


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